Quest for Amity Park
by CSIalchemist
Summary: Loosely based on 'Quest for Camelot.' Samantha Manson must search for King Jack Fenton's Soul Shredder in Undergrowth Forest. She must find it before Sir Vlad finds it first. A halfa and his companions join the search and help end a war with the dead. DXS
1. Prologue

**I have an idea! I remember watching 'Quest for Camelot' when I was a child and then I thought I'd do a Danny Phantom story based off of it! Of course I added a bit of my personal touch to it to make the story nice and long.  
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**Here's a prologue!  
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><p><strong>Quest for Amity Park<strong>

**Prologue**

Long ago, the kingdom of Amity Park was at war with the Ghost Zone. Natural Ghost Portals were opening up randomly all over the kingdom. Ghosts would use these portals to enter the Human Realm and usually cause chaos. Very few ghosts wished to coexist with the living.

The Fright Knight, the Spirit of Halloween, soon led an army of ghosts against the living. However, Lord Clockwork, the Ghost of Time, froze the time stream and put a time medallion on the general of the human army, James Fenton Nightingale, and spoke of a truce.

"This kingdom is called Amity Park, right?" asked Clockwork.

"Yes. Why are you asking that question?" asked General Nightingale.

"It's called that for a reason," Clockwork answered. "'Amity' means 'friendship'. So why are we fighting?"

"You wish to harm us," answered James.

"Harm you? No. Frighten you? Yes. It's a ghost's nature to scare the living. A ghost can choose to scare for good or evil. Very few of us harm the living."

"Well, not many humans like being frightened either," James Fenton Nightingale.

"I know," Clockwork replied. "But then again, I know everything. Not all ghosts are evil though. Some of us want to be left alone. Some of us wish to coexist. Perhaps we can come to an agreement?"

"I'm listening," James said.

Eventually, James Fenton Nightingale led his army to victory. James managed to turn the Soul Shredder, Fright Knight's weapon that was notoriously known to send whoever it struck to the dimension of your worst fear, onto the Fright Knight. He made the ghosts promise that they may stay in Amity Park as long as they do not harm another human. They must coexist with humans as either wandering spirits or guardian spirits.

The ghosts agreed and presented the living the Soul Shredder, now resting in a pumpkin, as a peace offering. The ghosts said that the agreement would end if anyone were dumb enough to pull the sword from the pumpkin.

The kingdom rejoiced. For his quick thinking and bravery, James Fenton Nightingale was proclaimed king of Amity Park. For generations, the living and the dead coexisted happily. Ghosts that lived in the Human Realm used their talents to improve the kingdom. Technology was evolving quickly. Some ghosts wished to remain alone and would haunt abandoned buildings, homes and cemeteries. Other ghosts would become guardians for families. Some even became servants to the Royal Family, including Clockwork.

However, one day King John Fenton Nightingale, notoriously known for being clueless, found the Soul Shredder hidden in the Treasure Room. Out of curiosity he pulled the sword from the pumpkin. When the ghosts learned of the king's foolish mistake, they turned on the living and went back to war with them. The kingdom blamed the king. Out of shame, he dropped the name Nightingale and became Fenton.

Only a handful of ghosts remained loyal to the Royal Family: the ghostly servants of the castle, a tribe of yeti-like ghosts in the Far Frozen north of the kingdom, and Lord Clockwork.

However, Clockwork knew this was going to happen but he saw another era of peace in the centuries to come. A halfa, a being that is half-human, half-ghost, would lead the kingdom of Amity Park into a whole new era.

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><p><strong>I loved 'Quest for Camelot' then and I still love it now! I'm trying to make the chapters as long as possible. I hope you enjoyed this short prologue! The real story starts in the next chapter. It starts in the gang's childhoods, like in the movie, but of course it quickly fasts forwards to adulthood.<br>**

**I want lots of reviews from all of you! Don't be shy! **

**Should I continue this story? **


	2. The Beginning of a Nightmare

**This is the official start of the story! It's not going to follow the movie exactly. I'll be adding my own scenes to this story to make it longer for all of you long-story lovers!**

**This chapter takes place before the story actually launches! Just like the movie!  
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**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Danny Phantom or Quest for Camelot!  
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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**The Beginning of a Nightmare**

"Jeremy, is this really necessary?" asked Lady Pamela Manson.

Sir Jeremy Manson gave his beautiful wife a kiss before answering. "It's His Majesty's orders, Pamela," he reasoned.

"But what about Samantha? You promised her you would take her to Amity Park. She'll be so lonely without you."

"Which is why Sir Damon Grey is dropping off his daughter here to keep Sammy company. You're always saying that she needs to make new friends," Jeremy replied.

"I know but…"

"PAPA!" The two parents turned and saw their ten-year-old daughter, Samantha, running towards them with Pamela's mother in tow. The girl was the spitting image of her grandmother in her youth. She had ebony hair and violet eyes. She embraced her father. "Papa, do you really have to go to Amity Park? You promised that you'd take me," she pouted.

"Oh, I'm sorry Sammy," Jeremy apologized, "but King Jack has summoned all of his knights to help form an alliance between us and the ghosts that roam the land. I can't let my little Sammy-kins get taken away by a ghost!" he exclaimed tickling her. "I promise I'll bring you to Amity Park one day, okay?"

The girl giggled. The whinny of a horse interrupted their little conversation. Sir Damon Grey approached Manson Farm on his horse. A little girl followed him on a pony.

"Jeremy!"

"Damon!"

Damon dismounted his horse and helped his daughter off her pony before embracing Jeremy.

Damon knelt to Sam's eyelevel and smiled. "You must be Samantha," he said. "Your father has told me all about you. This is my daughter, Valerie."

"Hi Valerie," Samantha said.

"Hello Samantha," Valerie greeted.

"We'll be happy to watch over her," said Pamela.

"Thank you so much, Lady Pamela," said Damon. He turned to Valerie. "Be a good girl and help them out."

"I will, Daddy," Valerie said sweetly.

"I love you, Valerie," he said kissing her cheek. Jeremy did the same with his daughter. He then kissed his wife good-bye and the two knights left the farm to Amity Park.

"One day, I want to be a hero like Papa," said Samantha.

~0~0~0~

**Three days later…**

Meanwhile King Jack's son and crown prince, eleven-year-old Daniel, was gathering materials that supposedly opened a portal to a new dimension. He and his best friend Tucker Foley were told that this new dimension leads to the Ghost Zone.

Daniel had messy black hair and icy blue eyes. His skin was pale despite the fact that he often played outside. Tucker had dark skin and think-framed glasses that framed his turquoise eyes. A red beret often covered his black hair.

The two were rummaging through Lord Clockwork's supply closet looking for more materials.

"How many blood blossoms do we need?" asked Daniel.

"Thirteen," his best friend replied.

Daniel continued looking. "Found them!" He dropped thirteen blood-red flowers in a basket Tucker was holding. "Why is everything related to ghosts always involve the number thirteen?"

"Thirteen is an unlucky number."

"Yeah, but why that number? Why not twenty-nine? Or seventy-two?"

Tucker shrugged. "How should I know? I didn't come up with the idea."

A redheaded girl with aqua eyes came into the closet in a huff. "Danny! Tucker! You two know you're not allowed in here without Lord Clockwork's permission!"

"Jazz! Shhh! We're working on a project," Danny whispered. Jazz, or Princess Jasmine, was Prince Daniel's older sister by two years. She often pokes her nose in where it doesn't belong, i.e. Danny and Tucker's shenanigans.

"I don't care about your 'project' right now," said the thirteen-year-old princess. "We have to get ready to welcome the knights. Mother sent me to find you. Tucker, this means you too."

"But my father's already here!" Tucker complained.

Jazz sighed. "Look, all you have to do is dress nicely, stand in front of the kingdom and smile and wave. After the knights enter the castle, then two can go swing from the chandeliers or whatever you two do during your spare time."

"We only did that once!" Danny defended.

Jazz rolled her eyes, grabbed both boys by the shirt collars and dragged them out of the magician's supply closet.

~0~0~0~

The knights of Amity Park entered the castle walls, meeting up with the knights that were already there. Sir Maurice Foley was there as well as Sir Vladimir Masters.

Masters was supposedly King Jack's closest friend, although the friendship is pretty much one-sided now. Vlad has felt bitter hatred towards Jack since he married Queen Madeline (or Maddie). Vlad has been in love with the queen since their days in the university. He lost his chance with her after the accident that nearly cost him his life.

The three of them were trying to open a portal to the Ghost Zone when Jack accidentally used Fool's Gold instead of real gold as one of the materials used to open it. The results were disastrous. Little did anyone know that Vlad became part ghost that day and had been slowly plotting his revenge. He gave the instructions to open the portal to Prince Daniel in hopes that the procedure would do the same thing to the boy, thus dethroning him.

The knights met with the king in the meeting room.

"Greetings everyone!" boomed the king. "Before we get down to business, I would like to know how everyone is. Jeremy! How's Lady Pamela?"

"She's doing well, thank you," Jeremy replied.

"What about her mother, Agatha?"

"Fought off a thief with her cane last week," Jeremy replied. "Everyone in Casper Village is now afraid of her." Everyone in the room laughed. They knew Agatha Manson had a reputation for being aggressive to whoever ticked her off.

"How's that daughter of yours? Samantha?" asked King Jack.

"We celebrated her tenth birthday two months ago. She really wanted to come this time," Jeremy said sadly. He hated breaking his promise to his only daughter.

"Well, next time bring her along! I'm sure Danny would be thrilled to make a new friend!" King Jack boomed. Jeremy smiled and nodded.

The king turned to Damon. "How about you, Damon? How are you doing after your wife's passing?"

"Very well, actually," Damon replied. "In fact, my daughter is staying with Sir Jeremy's family while I'm here."

"Wonderful! Bring her along too next time! I'm sure Danny would love to meet her too!"

After several minutes of catching up with his knights, King Jack then got down to business. "Alright! This kingdom has been at war with those ghosts for hundreds of years. Maddie suggests we form an alliance with them since half our staff is ghosts…and the fact that Lord Clockwork is one of my advisors. Any ideas?" In reality, Maddie is the one who is able to decipher Clockwork's puzzling advice.

Everyone threw around several ideas but none of them seemed good enough for the men. Then Vlad threw out an idea, "Perhaps we should pay them to work with us."

Damon frowned. "That's a horrible idea! They wouldn't agree to that."

Jeremy agreed. "Bribery will get us nowhere! We cannot buy an alliance; we have to earn their trust first."

Damon nodded his head. "I agree with Jeremy, Vlad. To offer them money would just insult them. We have to come to an agreement with them in order to form an alliance."

Vlad frowned. He did not take no for an answer. "You're forgetting that we broke an agreement with them centuries ago. Are you forgetting that it was _your_ ancestor, Jack, who broke the first agreement in the first place? What makes you think that they'll form another alliance with us?"

Jack also frowned. "Sorry, Vladdie. I'm going to have to side with Jerry and Damon on this one. It's not possible. We need the money we have to keep this kingdom alive."

"Then maybe this kingdom needs a new king," Vlad sneered. "I suggest I take over instead."

Jeremy glowered at Vlad. "I will not bow to a murderer for a king."

Vlad then gave the men in the room an evil grin. Black rings then appeared around his waist. As they split apart a blue vampire with blood red eyes and black hair styled to look like devil horns, wearing a white outfit with a matching white cape stood in Vlad's place.

"Sir Vlad?" said one of the knights.

"I prefer the name Vlad Plasmius," the vampire responded. He charged up his fists with glowing magenta energy. The knights instinctively responded by pulling out their ecto-pistols and fired at Plasmius. The monster put up an energy shield and then fired a ghost ray at the knights. Plasmius then fired at King Jack. The king pulled out a flaming green sword and defended himself from Plasmius's wrath.

"The Soul Shredder," Plasmius hissed. "I should have known. One day I will have that sword, your crown and…your queen." Plasmius then cackled and disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

Jack put the sword away with a new resolve. He would not form the alliance with the ghosts until he disposed of Plasmius. The friend he once knew was now gone. "I can't believe Vlad's a halfa," he muttered.

The other knights heard him. "A what?" asked one of them.

"A halfa. Half human, half-ghost. Rarest breed of ghost," Jack explained. "He must have became one during the accident all those years ago."

"Your Majesty!" cried another one of the knights. "Jeremy and Damon are down!"

Jack turned his direction towards his two fallen comrades. "Jerry! Damon! Speak to me!" Maurice came over and checked both of their vital signs. He turned to Jack and sadly shook his head. "No…MADDIE!"

The queen came rushing in. "Jack? What's going on? What's all that racket?"

"Maddie! Gather the children and hide them in the panic room! Then send word to the Royal Guard! It's Vlad! He's a halfa!"

Maddie gasped. "Are you sure?"

"We all saw him change into a ghost before our eyes!" Maurice exclaimed. "Hide the children!"

Maddie left the room to find her son and daughter and the other children of the castle.

"Jack, what should we do?" asked Maurice.

The king sighed. "Prepare their bodies for burial," he said grimly. "I need to call the families."

~0~0~0~

At Manson Farm, Samantha and Valerie were listening to Grandma Manson's many tales of her life.

"And then when I was about to fall asleep the ninjas attacked!" she exclaimed. Pamela chuckled knowing that her mother was exaggerating. The phone then started ringing.

"Hello?"

"…"

"Speaking."

"…"

"What? NO!" The two girls turned around to see what Pamela was getting upset about. "He can't be!"

"…"

"And Sir Damon?"

Valerie gasped at the mentioning of her father's name.

"Him too?"

"…"

"Please, Your Majesty! Tell me this is another one of your jokes!" Pamela sobbed. "Because it's not funny!"

"…"

"Okay," she whimpered. "I'll tell them. Thank you, Your Majesty." She hung up the phone. She turned to the others.

"Mother?" Samantha said. "What's going on?"

"Pamela? Is something wrong?" asked Grandma Manson.

Pamela pulled them all into a group hug and told them the news. The whole night was spent in tears.

~0~0~0~

The funeral was held in the Casper Village Cemetery. The Royal Family attended as well.

"Pam," Maddie started. "I can't tell you how sorry we are. Sir Jeremy was a good man."

Pamela sniffled. "I…I know." The two women embraced despite their differences in the past. King Jack gave Pamela her husband's uniform as well as Damon's. Sam and Valerie cried the whole time. By order of the king, Valerie was put in the Mansons' custody since she had no known relatives.

"Sir Jeremy Manson and Sir Damon Grey were…two of my most trusted knights," Jack said to the people of Casper Village. "They defended Amity Park with their lives…"

While Jack was giving his speech, Samantha ran off to cry some more. She didn't want anyone to see her cry anymore. _'It's not fair! Why did Papa die? He promised that he would take me to Amity Park. Why did Sir Vlad kill Papa and Valerie's papa? It doesn't make sense! I thought they were friends…' _

"Um…excuse me?"

Samantha turned around and saw the Prince of Amity Park standing in front of her. She quickly straightened herself up and knelt before him.

"You don't have to do that," Daniel said. "Today is about your dad. You don't have to kneel in front of me." Samantha stood up. She sniffled. Daniel approached her and gave her a handkerchief. "I know it's hard not to cry but…it will be okay. And uh…thank you…for your father."

Samantha looked up. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Uh…" the Prince stuttered. "For protecting my father…thank you for that…your father, I mean." Apparently, the Prince was trying to thank Samantha for having her father protect the king. He just didn't know how to say it.

Samantha blushed. She then looked at the ground. "I wanted to go to Amity Park with my father…but Papa said it was urgent and I couldn't come this time. He promised that next time I could come with him…but now I don't know if I still want to go," she sobbed.

Daniel could tell that she was about to cry again. "Uh…you should still go," he assured her. "What if I went to the Ghost Zone and got your father and Sir Damon to come back one more time? My friend and I might have found a way to go in there."

Before she could respond, Queen Maddie called her son. "Daniel! It's time to leave!"

"Coming, Mother!"

Samantha handed the handkerchief back to Daniel but he refused. "You can keep it. You need it more than I do." He then ran off to join his family. He stopped and turned to Samantha one more time. "By the way, I don't mean to sound like a girl, but I think you look good in black." He gave her a goofy little grin then ran off.

Samantha blushed again and held the handkerchief close to her heart. She vowed that one day, she'd go to Amity Park to see the Prince again. Shortly after the funeral, there was news that the Prince and his steward mysteriously disappeared. Samantha then promised herself that one day, she'd find Daniel and go to Amity Park. She let go of many of her old ways, mostly things she and her father did together. The only things she held onto were Valerie's friendship and the handkerchief that the Prince gave her.

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><p><strong>Told you that I twisted the story! <strong>

**I had to give Grandma Manson a real name but I never learned it! **

**Please tell me you guys are enjoying this story! I want a lot of reviews! The more reviews I get the sooner I upload! And I'm directing that to the readers who read but don't review! **

**Thank you, seantriana****! Your review motivated me to keep going with this story! **


	3. Ten Years Later

**I know this isn't my best work, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone! Please keep reviewing! If you haven't seen 'Quest for Camelot' I suggest you watch the movie first before continuing with this story. It's a kiddie film, I know, but I grew up watching this a lot and I love it!  
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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Ten Years Later…**

For the next ten years Samantha changed a lot of things in her life. She now called herself Sam instead of Samantha. Anyone who called her otherwise was beaten to a pulp (except for Grandma). She was now a full-blown Goth. Black was now her main color. The cheerful and friendly personality she now had was replaced by a more cynical and down-to-earth personality. Although she still dreamed of going to Amity Park one day. As soon as she was done growing, she became an ultra-recyclo-vegetarian. Pamela was the only one who didn't approve of these changes. She wanted Sam to be a proper lady, not a Gothic tomboy. Sam always hated wearing dresses, especially if they were pink and frilly. Valerie didn't argue about Sam's changes, thinking that these changes were triggered by Jeremy's death. It reminded Grandma Manson of her days in her youth.

"Mother, how can you approve of this rebellious behavior?" asked Pamela.

"It reminds me of what I was like at that age," Agatha replied.

"When did you stop?"

"I stopped the day I got pregnant with you," Grandma said blankly.

Samantha wasn't the only one who was going through changes. While she blamed her father's death on Plasmius, Valerie blamed her father's death on all ghosts. She felt nothing but bitterness and hatred towards them. The two soon learned how to hunt ghosts so that one day, they can avenge their fathers.

In Amity Park, King Jack and Queen Maddie were grieving for their son, whom they thought was dead. Sir Maurice Foley and his wife Angela were also grieving the loss of their son. The two boys disappeared under mysterious circumstances a few days after the Manson-Grey funerals. No one knew where they went, not even Lord Clockwork (it's not that he didn't know, he just wouldn't tell them IF he knew). Princess Jasmine kept assuring her parents that Prince Daniel was alive. She just didn't know where he was.

The plan to form an alliance with the ghosts throughout the kingdom was called off. The king and queen began hunting ghosts as a way of avenging their lost son. The only ghosts they didn't harm were the ones that still served them (Clockwork assured them that their ghostly servants still remained loyal to the Royal Family).

As for Prince Daniel and Tucker Foley? No one knew where they went or what happened to them.

~0~0~0~

"Sammy-kins! Wake up!" Pamela called to her rebellious twenty-year-old daughter. "Valerie! You too!"

Both girls groaned and rolled over.

Grandma Manson, who now rode on a motorized wheelchair, came into the girls' bedroom. She got out an air horn and blew it.

"RISE AND SHINE SLEEPING BEAUTIES!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" That woke them up!

"Grandma! Why do you do that every other morning?" moaned Sam.

Agatha just laughed. "You won't be able to hunt ghosts by just lying in bed all day!" She then left the room laughing hysterically.

"Augh! How have we been able to stand her?" asked a groggy Valerie.

"She's the only one who approves of our 'non-ladylike behavior' and can still use her old cane as a weapon," explained Sam as she got dressed. Her grandmother was the only person who understood what the girls were going through and they loved her for that. They just didn't approve of her way of waking them up in the morning.

Sam put on a black tank top with a black plaid skirt. She put her hair up in a small ponytail and put on her combat boots. She then put her treasured handkerchief in her pocket. Valerie put on a yellow shirt and an orange skirt.

The two went downstairs for breakfast. "So, where are we going to hunt today?" asked Valerie as she started munching on some bacon. For ten years, they have been hunting for every ghost they could find and they were pretty good at it too.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. How about Undergrowth Forest?"

Pamela overheard their conversation while putting the finishing touches on a bright pink dress meant for Sam. "NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

Sam scowled at her mother. "Why not?" she asked as she took a bite of her oatmeal.

"Undergrowth Forest is infested with ghosts! You so much as pick a flower in there, you're mulch!" Pamela explained.

"So what?" asked Agatha. "Turning into mulch builds character!"

"That's what she said about killing cockroaches," Valerie whispered to Sam.

"You two already went through every warehouse, school, and hospital in the entire village," said Pamela. "No matter how many ghosts you destroy, you won't avenge your fathers. And no matter where you look, Samantha, you won't find Prince Daniel either. If he wasn't missing I doubt he would turn his head towards a tomboy."

Agatha whacked Pamela's head with her cane. "How do you know, Pammy? For all you know His Highness might like the adventurous type."

Sam smiled, thankful that her grandmother always has her back. Sam then left the table. "I'm going to start my chores," she said. Grandma let them go ghost hunting if they did their daily chores first to keep Pamela off their backs. It's been working for the past ten years so far…

~0~0~0~

Later that evening in Amity Park, Jack was having a meeting with his surviving knights. They were discussing new defense mechanisms to install around the castle walls.

While Jack was having his meeting and Maddie was inventing another new ghost hunting weapon, Princess Jasmine went up into the tower to visit Lord Clockwork.

"Lord Clockwork?"

A blue ghost with red eyes and a scar underneath one of them appeared. He wore a purple cloak and carried a staff decorated with various clocks.

"Your Highness, welcome."

"Any news with my brother?" she asked.

"Besides the fact that he's still struggling with the Ghostly Wail, nothing has changed," Clockwork said. Yes, Clockwork and Jazz knew that Danny and Tucker were still alive. An accident happened about a week after the Manson-Grey funerals. It was Tucker who went to Jazz first. She went to Clockwork for help since her parents now felt vengeance towards ghosts that were not loyal to them. Since Danny was now a halfa he feared for his life. If they found out, he would surely be killed. Clockwork decided that it was best that Danny went into hiding until Plasmius was found and punished. He also sent Tucker with him for his involvement in the accident and for moral support. Jazz had to stay behind to give her parents some peace of mind and keep the whole accident a secret. Clockwork sent the boys to a good friend of his where Danny can learn how to control his powers.

"What about Plasmius?" asked Jazz.

"You know I can't tell you, Jazz," said Clockwork as he turned into an old man.

"I know but…"

"Prince Daniel will return eventually," Clockwork assured the princess.

"I miss him though," said Jazz. "I want to see him again _before_ I turn thirty!"

"Rest assured, you'll see him before that," Clockwork said chuckling. An explosion interrupted their conversation. The two looked out the window and saw a huge hole in the roof over the meeting room.

"Father's down there!" Jazz exclaimed. A robotic ghost then flew out of the hole holding the Soul Shredder in his hands. "That ghost has the Soul Shredder! You know what happens if anyone is struck by that sword!" She ran out of the room to help her father.

Clockwork, turning into a child, phased through the floor where he was now in the menagerie where several ghost animals were kept. He looked around until he found the animal he was looking for. "Cujo. You'll do." He let a ghost puppy out of his cage. He picked up the dog and went back to his room. He looked out the window and saw that the robot was almost gone from view. He put the puppy on the windowsill. "Protect the Phantom and find the Soul Shredder," he commanded as he turned into an adult. "The Phantom will know what to do." The puppy confirmed his order with a bark and flew out the window towards the robot.

~0~0~0~

Skulker was rather proud of himself as he flew at a breakneck speed away from the castle. First he is given a robotic suit from his employer then is ordered to steal the Soul Shredder from King Jack. He burst through the roof and then steals the sword before the king has a chance to draw it. Skulker left the king severely wounded.

He was about halfway over Undergrowth Forest when he heard a bark. Skulker turned around and a green puppy tackled him a few feet from the air.

"What the heck!" he exclaimed. The puppy barked and tackled him again trying to get the sword. "Oh, you're not getting this!" A rocket appeared from his shoulder and launched it at the dog, which jumped over it. The dog started growling and grew bigger and more frightening. The dog then bit into Skulker's armor.

"Let me go!" he cried as Cujo started shaking his head in all directions, doing massive damage to the armor. In the chaos, the Soul Shredder fell from Skulker's grasp and into the forest. "No!" Skulker shot goo into the dog's eyes and dove to catch the sword. Unfortunately, the plants of the forest came to life and attacked Skulker. He fired every weapon in his arsenal to ward him off but it was too late. The forest swallowed the sword. Skulker screamed in frustration and flew off to face his employer's wrath. Cujo shrank back into a puppy and carefully flew into the forest.

~0~0~0~

"FATHER!"

"JACK!"

King Jack woke up in the infirmary with a cast on his arm. Queen Maddie and Princess Jasmine were sitting at his bedside.

"It's gone…"

Maddie gently forced her husband back down on the bed. "We know, Jack. Walker and his men have the entire town surrounding the castle on lockdown. No one leaves the castle without going through them first."

"Has Lord Clockwork recovered the Soul Shredder?" asked Jack.

Jazz shook her head. "He sent a ghost from his menagerie to retrieve it. No news about it since."

"It's Vlad," Jack growled. "It has to be! I have to stop him!"

Maddie frowned. "You will do no such thing! You're in no condition to fight, Jack Fenton!"

"But –"

"Listen to Mother!" Jazz exclaimed. "You must stay here and recover. The people must know that their king is here to protect them."

Jack sighed. He knew Jasmine inherited her mother's brains and she was right. He couldn't just leave Amity Park to find a halfa. He needed to lead his people through this mess…despite the fact that he's normally not that bright.

"Maddie, do me two favors," said Jack.

"Yes?"

"One: spread the word about what has happened. I need every village in the kingdom to know what has happened. I need their eyes peeled for the Soul Shredder."

"Alright. I'll contact the media right away," said Maddie.

"And two: bring me some fudge! That will cheer me up!"

~0~0~0~

**One month later…**

"We're home!" Sam greeted as she and Valerie returned from another job. "Any news about the Soul Shredder yet, Grandma?"

"Nothing yet, sweetie," Agatha answered.

It's been a month since the Soul Shredder was stolen from the Fenton Royal Family. King Jack was wounded but it wasn't serious. The entire kingdom was on high alert. Sam saw this as an opportunity to go to Amity Park and become a hero like her father. There was only one problem: it takes three days to get there with a car or horse and even longer on foot. The Mansons only had one car and Sam knew that her mother was NOT lending it to her. Still, it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Hey Mom, can I –"

"No," she said bluntly.

"I didn't even ask you yet," Sam said annoyed.

"You want to borrow the car to go to Amity Park. I forbid you from going!" Pamela ordered.

"Then I'll take the horse," Sam retorted.

"That thing is dangerously close to going to the glue factory," Grandma said casually. "Your mother's idea, not mine," she added before Sam went into tree-hugger mode.

"Then we'll take my hover board," Valerie said stepping in.

"I thought you were still repairing it from our last job," said Sam.

"I'll fix it up and then we'll be on our way."

Pamela had enough. "STOP! You two are not going to find the Soul Shredder. The knights will find the sword and they'll do it by working together."

"Hey! Val and I work together! We're a team," Sam defended. "I want adventure in my life! I refuse to live the rest of my life as a daffodil sipping tea and batting my eyelashes! Where's the excitement in that?"

"I agree," said Valerie. "There's no way I'm going to be caught wearing a dress that not even Agatha would be caught dead in!" Agatha laughed at that, knowing that that statement was true.

"You two will not go looking for the sword and that's final!" exclaimed Pamela.

The Goth growled in frustration. "Mother, I don't want to spend the rest of my life as a maiden! I want to save Amity Park!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Pam, just let them go find the stupid sword," said Agatha who was tired of hearing this argument.

"Mother! How can you agree to this?" Pamela asked in exasperation.

"These girls need a challenge in their lives," Grandma explained. "What better way than to go look for a fancy-schmancy sword? It's just like in the old films."

"Thank you, Grandma!" Sam said grateful that her grandmother, as usual, sided with her in this argument.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?" asked Pamela refusing to admit defeat. "If that sword slices through you, it doesn't kill you. It sends you to the dimension of your worst fear! Neither of you know how to wield a sword."

"Better late than never," Valerie muttered.

"I've already lost your father to ghosts. I don't want to lose you too, Samantha," Pamela reasoned.

Sam's fists clenched at the mentioning of her father. She ran out of the house so no one can see her cry. Valerie tried to follow but Agatha told her that she needed time to cool off.

~0~0~0~

Sam ran into the barn to cry her eyes out. She's been stuck in this rinky-dink town all of her life. She's tired to living a boring life. Where's the adventure? Sure, hunting ghosts all over the village was an adventure at first but it quickly got boring. _'I swear! I could hunt every ghost in this village blindfolded! How can I help the kingdom if I'm stuck in the most boring village in the kingdom?'_

She pulled out the handkerchief from her pocket. The initials _DJF_ were embroidered onto one of the corners of the cloth. Daniel James Fenton. Sam really wanted to see him again after she got over grieving her father's death. All of that changed when the prince mysteriously disappeared ten years ago. Upon hearing the news, Samantha's heart was once again broken. She may have known him for only a few minutes but she really wanted to be his friend. Maybe even his fiancée…Sam shook that thought out of her head. _'Get real, Sam! You didn't even know him. Why are you even thinking like that? The odds of that actually happening if he wasn't missing are slimmer than Paulina's body.'_

A shadow then blocked the light in the barn. When Sam turned around, she screamed.

* * *

><p><strong>Hehehe! I love the way I made Sam's grandma in this story! Teaches people a lesson: never mess with the elderly!<strong>

**Keep reviewing, folks! I'm not getting that many and I'm starting to lose confidence! :(**

**Don't worry! Phantom will be appearing in the next chapter!**


	4. The Phantom of Undergrowth Forest

**Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate it! *cries tears of joy***

**This chapter was fun to write! Grandma Manson kicks butt in this chapter!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**The Phantom of Undergrowth Forest**

"You know, Mrs. Manson," Valerie said nervously, "you really don't give Sam and me enough credit. We are actually really good at what we do."

Pamela sighed. "I know, Valerie. I just don't want you two to get killed like your fathers did. I care about both of you."

"We're always careful," said Valerie. "You know I wouldn't let Sam get into dangerous situations. You guys are my family now and the last thing I want to do is worry you."

Suddenly, the loud strumming of a guitar shattered the windows of the house. A blue vampire entered the house. A girl ghost with green hair and wearing a red jacket came in as well.

"Can I help you?" Pamela demanded.

"Why Pamela have you really forgotten after all these years? All those banquets? Parties? Balls?" asked the vampire feigning hurt feelings.

Pamela recognized that voice. "Sir Vladimir? Is that really you?"

Valerie also recognized the name. "Vladimir? YOU KILLED MY FATHER?" she yelled pulling out her ecto-pistol from her red jumpsuit that she was wearing.

"Yes, it's me," said a confident Plasmius. "And you must be Valerie Grey, the only daughter of Sir Damon Grey. My, you've become quite a beautiful woman."

"You perverted old fruit loop!" Valerie spat.

A biker ghost then entered from the back room dragging Agatha with him (he phased into her room while everyone was busy with the front door). He had a black eye.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Plasmius.

"This old woman is crazy!" the biker exclaimed. "She attacked me with a cane!" He then spat out a tooth. "And she knocked a tooth out with a pillow!"

"It's called a brick pillow, sonny!" exclaimed Agatha as she held a pillowcase with a brick in it.

"Johnny!" The green-haired girlfriend ran over to comfort her boyfriend.

"I'm okay, Kitty."

"This whipper-snapper wouldn't even let me get in my motorized wheelchair! Some Russian psycho ghost short-circuited it. I can hardly walk with my cane!" Grandma exclaimed. She plopped down into an easy chair.

Plasmius sighed and rolled his eyes. "Do you have a spare?"

"I-It's in the closet," stuttered Pamela. Kitty got out a non-motorized wheelchair. Pamela then glowered at Plasmius. "What do you want, Vlad? What more do you want from us?"

"Glad you asked," Plasmius answered. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd take over Amity Park. The problem is that security is tight there and I need someone to help me get in." He then smiled evilly. "That's where you come in, Lady Pamela."

"You're insane!" she exclaimed.

"The proper term is fruit loop," Valerie muttered.

"I believe that you, Pamela, will have no choice but to cooperate," said Plasmius. A teenage ghost with flaming blue hair entered the house with a struggling Sam in her grip.

"SAMANTHA!" The human women exclaimed.

Sam growled at Ember and then looked at her family. "Call it a fluke. She just caught me off guard," Sam explained like it was nothing.

Plasmius turned to Pamela. "Take me to Amity Park and I won't incinerate your daughter."

Despite her family telling her to refuse, Pamela agreed. The ghosts then looted the house for supplies and valuables. While Pamela surrendered, Agatha, Valerie and Sam still tried to fight back.

"You'll never take me alive!" Agatha exclaimed swinging her cane and brick pillow in front of her captors.

"Let me tell you that that is really tempting right now," Ember warned.

"Grandma, be quiet!" Sam whispered. "Don't give them a reason to kill us." She then sighed. "Why did Mother surrender just like that?"

Agatha sighed. "Two reasons," she guessed. "One: she's a terrible fighter. She couldn't shoot a target if it was five feet in front of her. Two: she did it for us. You may not be able to stand her, Sammy, but she loves you. You too, Valerie. Besides, it's a lose-lose situation. If we cooperate, he'll kill us once he overthrows the Fenton family and if we don't cooperate…well, he'll kill us anyway."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Well, Val and I are not going to give up without a fight! Can you distract them somehow? At least long enough for Val and I to get a head start?"

"No, Sam," Valerie said. "I'll stay behind and watch over your mother and Agatha."

"Valerie…"

"Sam, you and I lost our dads to these guys. They won't kill us until they get what they want. If one of us escapes they have to put their plans on hold. Besides, Agatha needs someone to help keep these ghosts in line. You need to go to King Jack and warn him."

Sam knew she was right. Her family had been taking care of Valerie since Sir Damon died. This was Valerie's way of expressing her thanks: to let Sam escape to find the Soul Shredder and warning King Jack of the upcoming danger. Her eyes misting, Sam nodded. "Okay, Val. If I'm not there by the time you do, blast those ghosts to kingdom come."

Valerie smiled. "I'll make you both our dads proud."

Agatha then thought of a plan. "Alright, listen up. I'll distract them. Don't take the car; that thing's a gas-guzzler and you can't afford to stop for a refill. Take a detour."

"Where?" asked Sam.

"To Undergrowth Forest," replied Agatha. "Take the longest route possible. The forest is thick enough to delay the journey by a few days. With luck, the ghosts there will also slow them down."

"Well I can't just start running," Sam argued. "They'll catch me before I even get to the forest."

"Take my hover board," said Val.

"But it's still broken."

"Right now is not the time to be picky!"

"Alright," said Grandma. "Get ready, Sam."

~0~0~0~

"I AM THE BOX GHOST! I HAVE FOUND YET ANOTHER BOX TO ADD TO MY COLLECTION!"

"Shut up, Boxy!" barked Ember. "Just keep looking for loot."

"Johnny, how's your eye?" asked Kitty.

Johnny sighed. "I'll be fine. Man, that woman can really pack a punch!"

A bloodcurdling scream interrupted their conversation. Agatha Manson was on the ground flipping out. "I'M DYING! MY CHEST IS GOING TO EXPLODE!"

"AGATHA! WHAT'S WRONG? TELL ME!"

"What's going on?" asked Technus as he came downstairs with two laptops in his arms.

"Something's wrong with this old lady," Kitty explained.

"I CAN'T BREATHE! SOMEONE GIVE ME MOUTH-TO-MOUTH!"

Johnny grimaced. "I think she's having a heart attack! Should we get the boss?"

"Nah," said Ember. "Just let her lay there and die."

Valerie glared at Ember. "She can't die! If she dies, I'll blast you to bits!"

"Hey, wasn't there another hostage here?" asked the Box Ghost. The four other ghosts saw that he was right and Sam was gone.

"Let's remain calm," said Ember. "Search the house! Leave no chair unturned!"

~0~0~0~

Plasmius stood outside looking up at the night sky. He felt giddy as a child in a candy store. Soon he'll have the Soul Shredder in his hands and then he'll dispose of Jack Fenton and become king with Maddie as his queen. Yes, this plan was turning out perfectly.

Skulker then crash-landed in front of Plasmius. "Ah! You're back, Skulker! Excellent! Took you long enough! Soon, I will have my revenge on that oaf, Jack Fenton, and rule Amity Park with an iron fist and then I'll – what on earth happened to you?"

"Ran into a major problem, sir," gasped Skulker. "Took me a month to make only a _few_ repairs!"

"What kind of problem?" Vlad asked, his eyes flashing dangerously bright.

"I was ambushed," mumbled Skulker. "Actually, more like mauled by a ghost dog. Major damage done to my armor. He made me…" He gulped. "…drop the Soul Shredder."

"WHAT!"

"It's somewhere in Undergrowth Forest."

Plasmius face-palmed. "Great! That forest is technically one big ghost! To go in there means fighting off Undergrowth himself and he does not tolerate anyone who harms his forest!"

Ember then appeared. "Hey boss! We have a problem inside. The old woman is losing it. We're thinking heart attack."

The three ghosts then heard what sounded like an aircraft lifting off. Vlad turned around to see Samantha fleeing town on a hover-board. He then connected the dots. The heart attack was an act.

"Tell Johnny, Kitty and the Box Ghost to go after her!" he ordered.

~0~0~0~

Sam sped off into the night until she came to a fork in the road. Left: to Amity Park. Right: Undergrowth Forest. The Goth then made a quick right towards the forest.

"Shadow! Slow her down!" a voice commanded. Sam turned her head and saw Johnny 13, Kitty and Boxy coming at them on Johnny's motorcycle and they were gaining.

Sam turned around to see a shadow ghost fly right through Valerie's hover-board. The aircraft then short-circuited and started to descend. Sam then crash-landed in front of the forest. She turned around to see that her pursuers were quickly approaching her. Sam then ran into the forest without a second thought.

Sam was not even a quarter of the way in the forest when trees and other plants started attacking her. Sam fought them off with a machete (she hated to harm the plants but this was a life-or-death situation) but her efforts were futile. The plants would quickly heal and regenerate themselves.

Sam's foot slipped on the edge of a cliff. She tried to regain her balance but it was too late. A plant shoved the Goth off of the cliff. Sam thought it was the end for her but changed her mind when she landed in a pond. It wasn't deep but it was deep enough for her to be tangled up in someone's…fishing net?

"What the heck?" sputtered a bewildered Sam. "How did a fishing net get here of all places?"

"HEY!"

The Goth turned and saw a boy emerge from the shadows. She immediately saw that he was a ghost who looked about her age. He was tall but still pretty scrawny despite the fact that he had a little muscle on his arms. He wore a black tunic with matching black breeches. He also wore white boots, a white belt, and white fingerless gloves. He had a slightly tan complexion, neon green eyes, and messy snow-white hair. There was a tiny braid in the back of his head. His ears were pierced with small neon green hoop earrings. Around his neck was a necklace with a silver DP charm.

"Find your own pond to swim in," he said. "I found this place first!"

Sam frowned. "Excuse me for running for my life!" she exclaimed as she untangled herself from the boy's fishing net and threw it aside. "I'm being chased by three homicidal ghosts! I didn't mean to fall into your precious pond! And why are you catching these fish in the first place? What? The plants and berries of the forest not good enough for you?"

Before the Ghost Boy could respond, blue mist escaped from his mouth. He got into a battle position. Johnny 13, Kitty and Shadow jumped out of the bushes and attacked the trio. The boy was ready though. He jumped on a man-eating Venus flytrap. Kitty tried to slow down but the monstrous plant ate her in one bite. The Ghost Boy then turned to Johnny and blasted him with an ice beam. The Shadow then tackled the boy into the water. Sam leaned over the water to see who would come out the victor. The Ghost Boy leaped out of the water. A Shadowy puddle of darkness soon appeared in the water, which the boy quickly froze.

He then landed in front of Sam and surveyed the damage done to his net. He sighed in exasperation. "Great! I just fixed this thing and already almost all of my catch escaped." He picked up the lone fish still in the net. "Oh well. This should hold me out till morning."

Sam stepped in. "PUT…THE…FISH…DOWN!" The boy was paying so much attention to his net that he forgot that she was still there. He jumped which gave the fish an opportunity to escape but not without slapping his face with its tailfin first. The fish fell into a nearby creek.

"What did you do that for? You just cost me my dinner!"

"Why not have something more organic?" Sam asked.

The boy gave her a blank look. "Can't get more organic than eating freshly caught fish."

Sam rolled her eyes. "I mean you should eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables."

The boy snorted. "Are you saying you're a vegetarian?"

Sam sneered at him. "What's wrong with being a vegetarian?"

"It's for hippies," he said bluntly. Sam's jaw dropped. She's been called a lot of things in the past and hippy was not one of them.

He then sighed. "Well, if that's all you'll be needing, I'd best be on my way." He turned to leave. Despite the fact that the forest fit her Gothic tastes, Sam did not want to be left alone in it after what she just witnessed.

"Wait! Hold on!" Sam called. She started following him. "What's your name?"

"You can call me Phantom."

"I'm Sam. Sam Manson."

Phantom paused for a moment before continuing walking. Sam was curious about that. _'Why did he pause when I introduced myself? Does he know me? Do I know him from somewhere?'_

"Where are you going?" asked Sam.

"Home," Phantom answered.

"Can I come with you?"

Phantom burst out laughing like he just heard a funny joke. "You want to tag along with a _ghost_? Are you sick in the head or something?"

Sam glowered at Phantom. "No, it's not that. You seem to know your way around this forest."

"Glad you could clarify that," Phantom said sarcastically.

"Well, I've noticed that the forest hasn't attacked you at all. If you could can you guide me through it so I can get to Amity Park?" asked Sam.

Phantom stopped in his tracks and swiftly turned towards Sam, his neon green eyes flashing with hate and something else that Sam couldn't identify. "You can get through this forest on your own," he hissed. "I will have nothing to do involving that place!"

Sam gasped shocked that someone, even a ghost, would talk about Amity Park like that. Everyone she's met said that it's the only place where humans and ghosts still coexist…to an extent. What happened to Phantom for him to hate Amity Park so much?

Not wanting to push the issue further, Sam pressed on. "Okay, you don't have to come into the castle town with me but can you at least guide me through the forest?"

"Why are you so determined to get through here and get to Amity Park?" asked Phantom.

Sam sighed. "In case you haven't heard, the Soul Shredder was stolen from the Fenton family a month ago and the thief somehow dropped it somewhere in this forest."

Phantom snorted. "Impossible."

"Possible," Sam said back. "The thief left His Majesty the king with a broken arm. And I just found out that the thief works for Vlad Plasmius."

That caught Phantom's attention. "Plasmius? The same Vlad Plasmius who was once Vlad Masters and betrayed the Royal Family?"

"So you've heard of him. Yes, that same Plasmius. He's also responsible for murdering my father and my friend Valerie's father ten years ago. Right now that fruit loop is holding my family hostage and is going to use them to get to the king unless I find the Soul Shredder before he does," Sam explained mournfully.

Something about that explanation seemed to strike a nerve with the Phantom. Sam could tell because she saw him clench his fists.

"Fine. I'll guide you through the forest. After all, you owe me a meal."

"Hey!" said Sam insulted. "I am NOT going to kill an innocent animal just to satisfy your appetite!"

Phantom sighed like he's been through this before. "Then good luck traveling through the woods tonight."

Sam growled in frustration. "Whatever. I'll whip up something in my satchel that you can eat."

Phantom nodded. "Alright. Come on. I'll take you to my home for the night. If you're smart, you do NOT want to be wandering around Undergrowth Forest at night."

* * *

><p><strong>I changed Phantom's appearance to make him <strong>**look more like a handsome medieval hero...in a kingdom where the Middle Ages is mixed with the 21st century. Like my other story _The Gothic Bride_. Whatever...my story, my rules!**

**Keep those reviews coming people! **


	5. Exploring Undergrowth Forest

**Hooray! New chapter! I'm so happy for all of you reviewers out there! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your reviews! ^_^  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Exploring Undergrowth Forest**

After trekking through the forest for a good twenty minutes – with an occasional plant attack – the duo eventually made it to a clearing with a giant tree in the center. Inside that large tree was a house.

"Whoa!" Sam said in awe.

"What?" said Phantom. "It's not like it's a castle or anything." He then looked around looking for something. "Cujo! Here boy!" He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. A large green dog burst out of the trees holding, to Sam's horror, a dead goose in his mouth. This pleased the Phantom. "Alright! Looks like I'm having dinner after all! Good boy!" He took the goose from the dog's mouth and scratched under his chin. The dog seemed to relax and shrank till he was the size of a puppy. The collar soon shrank to fit around his neck.

"What is _that_?" asked Sam in bewilderment. "What kind of dog is he?"

Phantom rolled his eyes. "He's a ghost dog, duh!"

Sam sneered at the ghost but something caught her attention. She knelt down and picked up Cujo. His tag was in the shape of a gear with the letters CW on it. She turned it around and the dog's name was written on it.

"Hey!" She called to Phantom as they made their way to the tree house. "Your dog belongs to Lord Clockwork!" She saw a charm next to the nametag. It was a flaming green F. "He's supposed to be in Amity Park. The Royal Family's crest is on his collar. What's he doing here?"

Phantom shrugged. "How should I know? _He_ came to _me_. Best hunting dog I've ever had…actually he's the only hunting dog I've ever had." They stopped in front of the tree.

"I think I'll climb – HEY!" Phantom scooped her up bridal style and started to slowly fly into the tree house. "Put me down!"

Phantom looked insulted. "What? I can't be a decent host to my guest? Sheesh! Talk about ungrateful!" He phased through the floors of the tree house and set her down.

Sam quickly discovered that she was standing in Phantom's bedroom. "Oh no!" she started. "There is no way in heaven, earth or the Ghost Zone am I going to be sharing a room with _you_!"

"WHAT! No! You will be sleeping in my friend's room!" Phantom exclaimed blushing a bright red. "Geez! Do you always jump to conclusions?" He led Sam out of his room. "You can sleep in Tucker's room."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Tucker? Who is Tucker?"

"A friend of mine who's missing," Phantom explained. "When we find him in the morning, finding that stupid sword will be much easier hopefully."

"How's that?"

"He is the biggest techno-geek ever! It's thanks to him that this tree house has indoor plumbing and electricity. Although he still needs to fix the Internet connection here…" he trailed off.

"Can he find the sword or not?" Sam snapped.

"Yes! He installed a ghost item-detecting feature in his PDA. It will take us straight to the Soul Shredder," Phantom explained. He turned on his heel and went for the kitchen.

"Wait," Sam stopped him. He turned his head clearly annoyed by this girl. "Thank you…for saving my life." The Phantom's annoyed expression melted into a small grin.

"You're welcome," he mumbled.

~0~0~0~

Little did any of the young adults know that the Box Ghost was following them the whole night. He managed to keep a safe distance from them so Phantom's ghost sense wouldn't go off. He would have kept going but Cujo scared him off while our heroes slept.

Boxy went back to the frozen pond from yesterday. He saw that Johnny's head was completely thawed out but the rest of his body remain frozen. "Hey! Boxy! A little help?"

A giant Venus flytrap then spat out Kitty who was now covered in slime. "That was disgusting! AHH! Half of my jacket has dissolved!"

Shadow finally broke through the frozen pond and returned to Johnny. Plasmius and Skulker finally appeared.

"Judging by the looks of it, I'm guessing you three lost her?" Plasmius asked angrily.

"It's not our fault, sir," said Kitty.

"Yeah," Johnny agreed. "Some punk jumped us and left us like this! Where are Ember and Technus by the way?"

"They're with Lady Pamela and Lady Agatha. We'll be meeting them outside of the castle town when we get the Soul Shredder," Plasmius answered. He turned to the Box Ghost. "You obviously haven't been harmed by the forest yet. Did you follow the girl?"

"The Box Ghost did follow her!" Boxy answered. "A white-haired ghost is accompanying her as well as a green puppy that becomes monstrous in size! They are planning on heading north!"

"Very well," said Plasmius. "Lead the way!"

"Huh?"

"Take us to where they are!" exclaimed Skulker.

"I cannot! For I, the Box Ghost, was chased away by the monster green dog last night!"

That caught Skulker's attention. "Green dog? That must be that mutt that caused me to drop the sword!"

Plasmius then grinned. "Well then we'll just follow them. That dog will lead them right to the sword!"

~0~0~0~

"Are we there yet?" asked Agatha.

Ember covered her ears. "For the umpteenth time, NO!"

"Next time Johnny and Kitty are on hostage duty," Technus muttered.

Valerie was sound asleep. Pamela tried doing needlework to keep calm. "How did it come to this?" The three humans sat in the back of a Technus-controled Manson family car while Ember drove.

"Easy," Agatha answered. "You surrendered and fed the Manson family to the dogs."

Pamela scowled at her mother. "You told me that it's not ladylike to fight with my fists! What else could I do?"

"Simple. Forget what I said and kicked their butts! That's what Sammy and Val would have done."

"Why do you encourage their behavior?" asked Pamela. "After everything you've taught me, why change your views with the girls?"

"Times are changing," Agatha answered wisely. "Girls are now becoming more involved with society. I'm just keeping up with the times."

"I actually agree with Granny there," said Ember. "Quit acting like a dandelion."

"HA! HA! No one will stop Lord Plasmius from taking over Amity Park!" Techus exclaimed.

"You don't know my granddaughter," Agatha retorted. "By the way, are we there yet?"

"NO!" Technus and Ember yelled.

"Is there any way you can make this hunk of junk go faster?" growled Ember.

"There is none. For I, Technus, Master of All Electronics, cannot make changes to this vehicle!"

"Why not?"

"This thing is an old gas-guzzler! And I cannot make upgrades to antiques!" exclaimed Technus. Ember released a frustrated sigh.

"Are we there yet?" asked Agatha.

"NO!"

~0~0~0~

The two unlikely friends left early the next morning. Phantom gave Sam a pair of breeches to wear during their journey.

"You can't wear a skirt in the forest," Phantom advised. "You'll scratch your legs on thorns and the likes."

Things were very quiet between the two…until Undergrowth Forest began to wake up as well. Sam was too busy admiring the scenery to acknowledge the fact that several plants were trying to attack her.

"So how long have you lived in the forest?" Sam asked trying to initiate a conversation with Phantom who was currently trying to fight off every killer plant that was trying to attack them.

Phantom landed next to her and drank from a water bottle. "Five years," he panted.

Sam's eyebrows went up. "Is that how long you've been dead?"

"No. That's just how long I've lived here."

"Then how long have you been dead?"

"It's actually very impolite for someone to ask a ghost how long they've been dead," Phantom snapped. "Brings up too many memories…and mistakes…"

"What?" Sam didn't hear that last part.

"Nothing!" Phantom automatically said. "Let's keep going."

~0~0~0~

Plasmius was getting rather impatient with the forest and his crew. Now that Undergrowth was awake the plants continued attacking the evil group. The reason that the forest didn't hurt the Box Ghost last night: Undergrowth was asleep. Only certain plants attacked at night and they're only awake during that time...and they hardly saw the Box Ghost as a threat.

"Are you sure you dropped the sword in the forest?" asked Plasmius impatiently.

"Pretty sure," answered Skulker. "Although it is hard to tell from down here. Everything looks different from the ground."

Plasmius grabbed the shirt collar of Skulker's outfit. "We better find that sword before those brats do or I'll turn your armor into scrap metal!" Skulker gulped.

"AAAUUUGGGHH! I hate this place!" Kitty complained. "My shoes are ruined! Look at how much mud has gotten on my jacket!"

Plasmius rolled his eyes. "Your jacket was already ruined from the Venus flytrap. How will getting mud on it make a difference?"

Kitty scowled at him. "You're a man. You wouldn't understand."

Johnny put his hand on her shoulder. "Relax, doll. As soon as Plasmius takes over Amity Park I'll buy you as many jackets as you want."

"And I, the Box Ghost, shall show you every shoe in all of my shoeboxes to replace the muddy ones! You will not be disappointed!" the Box Ghost piped up.

Plasmius face-palmed. How did he wind up with such idiots?

~0~0~0~

As they continued to go deeper into the forest, Sam noticed that the forest had stopped attacking the unlikely duo.

"Hey, what's going on with the forest?" asked Sam. "Those plants haven't attacked us for awhile. Any ideas?"

"Probably because Undergrowth has acknowledged you as my ally," Phantom assumed.

This confused the vegetarian. "_Your_ ally? What are you talking about? Everyone knows that Undergrowth attacks anything that harms his 'children'." She added air-quotes at the last part. "I'm no exception. I cut and slashed at those things when I entered the forest last night. I didn't want to but I had no choice. Why have they stopped attacking me?"

Phantom thought for a moment. "It may not look like it but Undergrowth sees everything in this forest. You know he rests in the center of this forest, right? Several plants in this forest are like his eyes and ears."

Sam nodded. "So he sees everything in this forest even though he's in one place?"

"Now you're catching on."

"But why haven't you been attacked? You fought those plants too. Why hasn't he punished you yet?"

"I have a truce with Undergrowth," Phantom explained. "When I came to live here, he tried to get rid of me and Tucker. I froze several of his plants, weakening him. He wanted me to spare him. I told him that he would let Tucker and me live in his forest and use his plants for food and resources and in exchange, I would keep any kind of threat out of the forest. Plasmius and his cronies were considered threats. That's why the plants attacked them."

"But why attack me?" asked Sam.

"He thought you were a threat when you first came into the forest. Your slashing at his plants only reinforced that. It wasn't until you and I teamed up that the attacks stopped. Does that make sense to you?"

Sam thought it over and then nodded. She's surprised that Phantom's opened up to her. "Okay, why are you suddenly nice to me? Last night you gave the dinner I made to Cujo."

"Cujo wouldn't eat it either," Phantom defended. "Instead he ate the goose that he caught. I can't believe you buried what was supposed to be my dinner!"

"That goose deserved a proper burial," Sam argued. "What I gave you was tofu, a meat substitute. It has just as much protein as regular meat."

"Then why did it taste like someone's feet?"

"It tasted fine!" Sam argued.

Phantom sighed. "Just be happy I ate everything else on my plate. Nice job with the salad by the way."

Sam gave him a small smile. "Thanks." They continued walking. "I have a question that's been bugging me for years."

"Go on."

"Do ghosts need to eat?"

Phantom chuckled. "I don't think so. I think we eat just to be social. I just eat out of habit."

Sam nodded. "Okay. That makes sense." Phantom's ghost sense went off. He got in a battle pose waiting for the enemy to appear. Sam, noting that the blue mist that came from Phantom's mouth meant trouble, pulled out her ecto-pistol and charged it up…or at least tried to. "What the?" A loud roar was heard overhead. The two looked up and a giant black dragon was flying over their heads.

"Aragon," Phantom growled.

"Who?" asked Sam completely lost.

"We're in Aragon's territory," Phantom explained. "This area is literally stuck in the Middle Ages, which is why your weapon isn't working."

Sam put her pistol away and pulled out her machete.

Phantom rolled his eyes. "Like THAT is going to be much use! Aragon's a dragon ghost!"

"Crud!" Sam squeaked. Aragon breathed fired at the two. Phantom scooped up Sam and flew off. He held her close like she was a priceless treasure.

"I won't let him hurt you," he vowed. "I promise."

Sam didn't know if the reason her face was turning red was because of the fire or what Phantom said. Either way her face was cherry red.

Phantom and Sam hid in a nearby dilapidated hut. Phantom turned him and Sam invisible and waited for the danger to pass. When the dragon was gone, Phantom and Sam became visible again. They weren't able to catch their breath though because they heard something move in the hut. Phantom's fists started glowing bright green. Sam got out her machete again (despite the fact that it was useless against ghosts).

"Show yourself!" Phantom barked. The response they got was not one they were expecting.

"Danny? Is that you?"

This shocked Sam. _'So he does have real name after all.'_

Phantom recognized that voice. "Tucker? Is that you?"

A boy around Phantom's age appeared from behind a moldy sofa. He had dark skin, a small pencil mustache on his upper-lip, turquoise eyes that were surrounded by thick-framed glasses, and black dreadlocks that were dangling out of a red beret. He wore a long-sleeve yellow tunic, cargo pants, and hiking boots. A backpack could be seen strapped to his back.

The boy smiled. "Dude! Thank God you're here…ooohh! And you brought a new friend," he finished flirtatiously.

Sam looked at him blankly. "Don't waste your breath. I'm allergic to womanizers."

Phantom stepped in. "Sam, this is my best friend, Tucker. Tuck, this is Sam."

Tucker put on his best smile. "Nice to meet you, my dear. You single?"

"Uh-oh…" Phantom whispered. He stepped away to the other side of the hut.

Sam responded by punching Tucker in the gut, hard. It knocked the wind right out of him. "Pretty girl, nasty punch!" he gasped.

Phantom helped his friend back on his feet. "Are you okay, Tucker? When you left to map out Aragon's territory and didn't call back, naturally I got worried. How did you survive out here for so long without your technology?"

Tucker smiled confidently. "Aragon's sister, Dora, helped me out. She gave me leftovers from the castle which kept me alive all week."

"And a technology-free week? How did you survive that?"

"Not easy, man. I had to actually entertain _myself_! My PDA is useless in this place!" Tucker wailed, his eye twitching.

"Is he always like this?" Sam asked Phantom.

"Only when his PDA dies," Phantom replied. A roar was heard right outside the hut. Aragon who was not happy at all then ripped off the roof.

"Cujo! Ride!" Phantom ordered the green puppy. Cujo grew into a giant dog and lowered himself to the ground. Tucker climbed on the dog's back. Phantom helped Sam onto the dog.

"What about you?" asked Sam.

"I'll take care of the dragon," Phantom answered. "You guys get out of here and wait for me."

"But you'll get killed…again!" she screamed as he flew off into battle.

"Relax, Sam," Tucker assured. "He's fought dragons more than once. He knows how to fight them." He kicked Cujo into high gear. "Let's ride, Cujo!"

The dog barked and the three took off. Sam didn't notice that her prized handkerchief fell out of her pocket as Cujo started flying away.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh No! She dropped the only connection to the Prince! <strong>

**What do you think about Tucker's new appearance? I had to change it a little since he and Phantom have been gone for ten years. Hope you guys like it!**


	6. Identities Revealed

**Flashback episode! Awesome! The flashback will be written in Italics. I wanted to make make the battle with Aragon short because I REALLY wanted to write the flashback.**

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Identities Revealed**

As soon as he knew his friends were out of harm's way, Phantom noticed that something fell out of Sam's pocket as she and Tucker flew off on Cujo. He picked it up and saw that it was an old handkerchief. The initials _DJF_ were embroidered in a corner.

Phantom's eyes went wide. A memory flashed in his mind. It was a memory of someone's funeral – a double funeral. A human boy was giving a crying girl with ebony hair and violet eyes a handkerchief to dry her eyes. The girl looked a lot like a younger version of Sam. "No. She couldn't be…" he whispered in disbelief.

A roar interrupted his train of thought. Phantom turned and Aragon blew a ball of fire in Phantom's direction. He quickly turned intangible before the fire could roast him. He put the handkerchief in his pocket and launched into battle.

Phantom fired a ghost ray at Aragon's wing doing massive damage to it. The dragon roared in pain. He tried taking a bite at him but Phantom turned intangible. He then fired an ice beam at Aragon's nostrils, freezing them. Aragon blew them out. He then began to take a deep breath but Phantom threw a sphere of ectoplasmic energy into Aragon's mouth. The attack exploded in Aragon's mouth, knocking him out.

"Ha! And Tucker thought I was playing too many Zelda games," Phantom remarked. He flew off to catch up with his friends. He took out the handkerchief Sam dropped. "I wonder if I should tell her…"

~0~0~0~

As soon as Cujo landed back into the sanctuary of the forest, Sam began grilling Tucker with questions.

"Okay, spill! Why did you call him Danny? His name is Phantom."

"That's his name, Danny Phantom," Tucker explained. "Everyone calls him Phantom except me. We've been through thick and thin our whole lives."

"Your whole lives?" Sam repeated. "As in you knew him when he was alive?"

"Uh…um…sure…let's put it that way," Tucker stuttered.

That just made Sam even more suspicious. "And what is that – huh?" she felt her pocket and was horrified to discover that it was empty. She checked all of her pockets. "No. NO! IT'S GONE! IT CAN'T BE GONE!" She went on her hands and knees.

"Are you okay?" Tucker asked uncertainly.

"It's gone," Sam gasped.

"What's gone?"

"My handkerchief," Sam said.

Tucker quirked an eyebrow. "A handkerchief? I didn't think Goths cared about something like that."

"You don't understand," Sam snapped. "This was special! It was given to me by Prince Daniel himself!"

Tucker did a double take at the mentioning of the missing prince's name. "You knew Prince Daniel?"

Sam sighed as she sat on her knees. "Briefly. He gave me that handkerchief during my father's funeral ten years ago."

Tucker was starting to look uncomfortable. "Your dad died ten years ago? How?"

Sam's fists clenched. "He didn't die. He was murdered!" she hissed. "Sir Vladimir Masters aka Vlad Plasmius murdered my father, Sir Jeremy Manson. He also murdered my friend Valerie's father, Sir Damon Grey."

Now Tucker was really uncomfortable! "Uh…how about we set up camp for tonight?" Sam eyed him suspiciously. _'Okay! He's hiding something!'_

Phantom then landed in front of the group. "Hey guys!"

Tucker raised his eyebrows. "You beat Aragon? Already?"

"Yep. Used the Zelda trick to beat him!" Phantom said proudly. "And you thought I was playing too many of those games! Pay up!" He held out his hand. Tucker grumbled as he pulled out a $20 bill and gave it to Phantom. Tucker then whispered something to Phantom. His cocky smile slowly turned into a look of surprise.

Sam, not liking being left out of the conversation, spoke up. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing!" they sang innocently.

Sam frowned and folded her arms. "Save it. Every time someone says 'nothing' it usually means something, so spill!"

The two boys looked at each other then back at Sam. Phantom sighed. "Tuck, go with Cujo and go look for dinner. I'll talk to Sam." Tucker nodded, called Cujo and went into the woods without another word.

Sam and Phantom sat down on a log. He pulled out Sam's treasured handkerchief from his pocket. "I believe you dropped this."

Sam gasped and took the piece of cloth out of his hand. "I thought I lost this forever! Thank you so much! You have no idea how much it means to me!"

Phantom's stomach did a back flip. This was making him nervous. "Actually I do. I haven't seen that thing in ten years."

Sam looked up at him. "What are you talking about?"

Phantom looked up at the evening sky. "I'm actually a halfa, half-human, half-ghost."

Sam's eyes bugged out. "A halfa? Really? You're kidding!"

Phantom shook his head. "I'm not joking, Sam. I'm part human."

"H-How…"

"I was only eleven years at the time. I was coming home from a funeral…"

* * *

><p><strong>Ten Years Earlier; One week after the Manson-Grey Funerals…<strong>

"_Danny? Where are you going?" asked Tucker._

_ "I'm going to open a portal to the Ghost Zone," Danny stated. "I'm going to find the ghosts of Sir Damon and Sir Jeremy so Samantha Manson won't be so sad."_

_ Tucker sensed something going on. "You want to cheer up a __**girl**__? Do you like her or something?" he asked with a suspicious smile._

_ Danny blushed. "NO! I…just don't like seeing girls cry so much," he defended._

_ "What about Valerie Grey?" asked Tucker. "Don't you want to make her happy again?"_

_ Danny gave Tucker a blank look. "How should I know? You were too busy trying to cheer her up with your jokes. Did she even laugh at any of them?"_

_ Tucker's blushing face fell. "No…"_

_ "Okay, then." The two boys went to Danny's chambers to gather the necessities to open the Ghost Zone. _

_ Tucker read the instructions. "It says here that we have to do it in a confined space, like a closet or a wardrobe."_

_ Danny looked around his room and his eyes fell on his closet. "Perfect!"_

_ The two boys emptied the closet and followed the instructions carefully._

_ "Are you sure you still want to do this?" asked a reluctant Tucker. "I mean Sir Vlad was the one who gave us these instructions. What if it's a trap?"_

_ Danny sighed and poked his head out of the closet. "I know but I was thinking. What if Sir Vlad was overshadowed? What if a ghost made him do it?"_

_ Tucker thought about it. "I guess it's possible. But what if your father the king doesn't want Sir Jeremy and Sir Damon's ghosts as his knights? I heard what he said about ghosts. I don't think he likes them anymore."_

_ "Nonsense!" said Danny. "He said that only the ghosts that still serve him are the only ones he still likes. Imagine his surprise when his two friends come back to see him! Okay! I finished writing the last rune on the wall. Now what?"_

_Tucker looked at the instructions and frowned. "It says you have to recite an incantation but I can't read it."_

_Danny held out his hand. "Let me see." Tucker handed Danny the piece of paper with the instructions. He read it over and smiled. "I recognize these words! It's Latin. Jazz has been teaching me it during her spare time."_

"_Well, go ahead and read it!" Tucker encouraged. "I want to see the Ghost Zone and explore it!"_

_Danny recited the incantation carefully. Little did he know that the runes he drew on the wall in his closet were starting to glow green._

"_Weird. Nothing's happening," Danny stated._

"_Maybe it's because you're standing in the closet. Maybe you should – why are the walls glowing?" Tucker was cut off when he noticed a green glow behind his best friend. Before Danny could react, a blast of green light erupted from the closet and electrocuted the young prince. He let out a blood-curdling scream that would make a war veteran's blood run cold. _

_Tucker, who was panicking, tried to make it stop by saying, "UNDO! UNDO! WHATEVER THE LATIN WORD IS FOR UNDO!" The blast stopped as quickly as it started. Tucker went into the closet and quickly dragged an unconscious Danny out of it. However, the prince's appearance was now unrecognizable. The boy's normal raven-black hair was now snow-white. His pale skin was slightly tanner and the colors of his clothes were altered too._

_Tucker shook Danny awake. "Danny! Your Highness! Wake up! Oh, man! We're in serious trouble! Oh, man! Please don't be dead!"_

_Danny groaned and slowly regained consciousness. When he opened his eyes, Tucker saw that the prince's icy blue eyes were now neon green. "Tucker?" he said groggily. "Did it work?" When Tucker didn't respond, Danny slowly sat up and looked at his friend. "What's with you? You look like you've seen a ghost, literally!"_

"_I…I think its b-because I'm LOOKING AT ONE!" Tucker shouted._

"_What?" Danny looked around but saw no one else but his best friend. "Where?"_

_Tucker pulled out a hand mirror and held it up to Danny's face. Danny screamed at his reflection._

"_Danny?"_

_The two boys jumped when they heard Queen Maddie slowly approaching the room. Danny jumped back into the closet and shut the door. "If she asks, lie!"_

_Maddie entered Danny's chambers but only saw Tucker standing in it. The boy quickly kneeled. "Tucker? Where's Prince Daniel? I heard a strange noise and then a bunch of screaming. What's going on?"_

"_Uh, Danny saw a bug and is trying to squish it," Tucker fibbed. He then whispered to Maddie. "Better let him do it alone. He said that this was a one-man job."_

_Maddie laughed and left the room. "Alright. Just keep it down, okay?"_

"_Yes, Your Majesty." When the coast was clear, Tucker opened the closet but no one was inside. "Danny?" The prince suddenly appeared out of thin air. Tucker yelped but quickly shut up before he got too loud. "How'd you do that?"_

_Danny looked at Tucker quizzically. "Do what?"_

"_You were invisible!" Tucker exclaimed._

_As cool as it was Danny wanted to undo his mistake before his parents found out what he did. "Whatever. Find Jazz. She'll know what to do."_

_Tucker ran off to find Princess Jasmine. Danny stayed hidden in the closet while he waited. Several minutes later Tucker came back with Jazz explaining what happened along the way. Jazz opened the closet door and saw what was supposed to be her younger brother. Tucker quickly muffled her screams._

"_I told you I wasn't kidding!" Tucker exclaimed. "We can't go to his parents! They'll destroy him molecule by molecule!"_

_The funeral, Samantha Manson, the accident, and the thought of his parents killing him made Danny break down to tears. Jazz hesitantly knelt down to her brother and comforted him._

"_It's okay, little brother," she said comfortingly. "We'll figure this out."_

"_P-Please, Jazz," Danny pleaded, "don't tell Mother and Father. I'm afraid of what they'll do to me."_

_Jazz thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Alright. We'll go to Lord Clockwork. He'll know how to fix this."_

_Tucker looked at her bemused. "How is a ghost who practically speaks in riddles supposed to help us fix Danny?"_

"_I don't know," Jazz snapped. "But that's the only idea I've got."_

_The three quickly and quietly escorted Danny to Lord Clockwork's tower._

"_Lord Clockwork!" Jazz called. "Come out here! This is an emergency!"_

_Clockwork, who was currently an old man, appeared out of thin air. "Calm down, Princess Jasmine. I'm aware it's an emergency."_

"_Are you aware of what just happened to my brother?" Jazz asked pointing to her ghostly brother._

_Clockwork smiled, turning into a child. "I know, but then again, I know everything."_

"_So you know that Danny's dead now?" Tucker asked bluntly._

"_TUCKER!" Jazz scolded._

"_Prince Daniel is not dead," Clockwork remarked. "He has become a halfa. Half-human, half-ghost. Just like Sir Vladimir."_

"_What?" Danny exclaimed. "I'm just like Sir Vlad now? He really is a halfa? I'm a killer?"_

_Clockwork raised a hand to silence the boy. "Let me assure you that you are not or ever will be a killer. Everything is the way it should be."_

_Jazz was lost. "What are you saying? That Danny was supposed to turn into a halfa? You saw this coming and you didn't say anything?"_

_Clockwork then turned into an adult before answering. "You three know that I am not allowed to interfere with the timeline. This boy was destined to be a halfa long before even your grandfather was born."_

_Danny was having a hard time taking this all in. "But I don't want to be a halfa! I just…wanted to see a smile on Samantha Manson's face. Father told me that a king must put his people's needs before his own ("One of the few wisest things he's ever said," murmured Jazz). I was trying to do that!" Clockwork smiled. Young love in the making. He could tell the prince was trying to hide it. _

_Tucker stepped in. "So Vlad is really a halfa? Danny thought he was overshadowed."_

_Clockwork nodded. "It's understandable to defend someone you've known your whole life. Danny and Jazz have known Vlad their whole lives."_

_Jazz agreed. "I know what you mean. Vlad was like an uncle to us."_

_Tucker continued. "So the instructions to make a Ghost Portal…was a trick?"_

_Clockwork nodded. "He meant to dethrone Daniel and murder the king so he can claim the crown and Queen Maddie for himself."_

_The three children grimaced. "EEEEEEWWWWWW!"_

_Rings of light suddenly appeared at the boy's waist. In a matter of seconds, Danny's appearance changed back to normal. Danny then smiled. "It's gone! I'm back to normal!"_

_Clockwork frowned, turning into an old man again. "Guess again, Daniel. You are still half-ghost. Eventually, you'll learn to change back and forth at will. However, for your own personal safety, it's best if you went into hiding until the time is right."_

_Danny's eyes filled with tears. "You mean run away? But where am I supposed to go?"_

"_A good friend of mine named Frostbite will take you in. He is the leader of the Far Frozen up north. He will train you and teach you how to master your new powers. Princess Jasmine must stay to give your families some peace of mind." _

_Jazz nodded. Danny, however, did not like this plan._

"_I don't wanna go!" Danny protested. "I don't wanna be alone!"_

_Clockwork, now a child, turned and faced Tucker. "Prince Daniel is right. He can't do this alone. He needs someone to be his pillar of strength. Are you willing to leave your parents behind for the sake of Prince Daniel's?"_

_Tucker, shocked that Clockwork asked him that, was hesitant. "Leave my family? For how long?"_

_Clockwork frowned. "I cannot tell you. You will know when the time is right to return."_

_Tucker, his eyes misting, sighed and nodded. "I'll go with him if it means helping him. It's exactly why I was brought to live in the palace in the first place. I've got your back, dude!"_

_Danny, now crying, embraced his best friend. "Thanks, Tucker! You're the best friend a halfa could ask for!"_

_Jazz's smile quickly melted into a frown. "What are we going to tell Mother and Father? We can't tell them the truth."_

_Clockwork changed into an adult again. "Leave that to me. Speak of this to no one. Now go you two. Gather your belongings. I will escort you to the Far Frozen."_

_The three children then gave Clockwork a group hug. "Thank you, Master Clockwork."_

* * *

><p>Phantom turned his head to Sam and saw that she was crying. He cringed at the sight of a crying girl. He wiped a tear away from her face. Sam shivered when his cold hand touched her warm face. "I'm sorry," he said stroking her cheek. "I just wanted to see a smile on your face."<p>

"S-S-So, you're really…" Sam stuttered.

Phantom stood up and faced her. A ring of light appeared at his waist. As they split in two his appearance changed. His black tunic changed into a white shirt with a red vest. Dark blue breeches replaced his black ones. His white gloves disappeared. His white boots became black. The charm on his necklace turned into a flaming green F. His slightly tan complexion became paler. His white hair became black and his neon green eyes became icy blue. The only things that stayed the same were his earrings and the small braid in the back of his head.

"I'm Prince Daniel James Fenton."

* * *

><p><strong>OMG! Another cliffhanger! I'm such a hypocrite! I hate cliffhangers and here I am ending the chapter with one!<strong>

**Well, what did you think? I hope I did this well. I know in the 'Quest for Camelot' movie there was a flashback so that's ****where this chapter came from.**


	7. Mending a Broken Heart

**Hope you guys are enjoying the story. Sam bonds with both Danny and Tucker in this chapter. Plus, a little fluff!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Mending a Broken Heart**

With the progress Plasmius and his team were making, it would take a miracle to catch up with the Manson brat and her friends. The moment his group stepped into Aragon's territory, Johnny's motorcycle broke down and Skulker suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. On closer inspection, it was revealed that his armor broke down.

Plasmius growled in frustration. "At this rate, I'll never take over Amity Park!"

"Excuse us for not knowing about Aragon's territory," Skulker countered. He was really a little green ghost with stubby legs. Right now, he was sitting in Kitty's hair. Everyone was pouting at the fact that their weapons were not working. The only one who was having a good time was the Box Ghost and that's only because Johnny had to disassemble his motorcycle and Skulker his armor and they had to carry all of the parts in boxes.

A roar was heard overhead. A black dragon ghost dive-bombed towards the group. Plasmius's goons screamed and ran for cover while Plasmius launched himself into battle.

~0~0~0~

Sam stared at the boy in disbelief. The reason he disappeared was because of a mistake he made? He made that mistake for her and Valerie? She was the reason he's like this?

The tears wouldn't stop coming out of Sam's violet eyes. The prince of Amity Park went to hell and back for her. And they didn't even know each other!

"Excuse me. I need time alone. I need to think about this," Sam said as she quickly walked away from the campsite.

Danny, taking that as rejection, changed back into Phantom and flew up through the trees until he was over the treetops. He took a deep breath and unleashed a mournful Ghostly Wail into the night sky.

~0~0~0~

A Ghostly Wail was heard in the sky as Sam marched though the trees with tears in her eyes. Prince Daniel became a halfa because of her? And all he wanted was to see her smile in return? It wasn't fair. Should she blame herself for giving him the idea in the first place? No. He did mention opening a Ghost Portal at her father's funeral. Sam didn't think he'd actually go through with it.

Sam found a stump and sat on it. She then let the tears out like a faucet. She cried for herself, her family, Valerie, Tucker's family and most importantly Danny's family. No wonder Phantom felt bitterness towards Amity Park. He's afraid of how his parents will react to him or worse, _what_ they'll do to him if he told them the truth.

"Sam?"

Sam looked up and saw Tucker and Cujo emerge from the bushes. Tucker had a dead rabbit in his hand but Sam was too upset to care.

"What do you want, Tucker?" she growled.

Tucker flinched, afraid that she'll give him another beating if he kept talking to her. "Uh…I'm guessing Danny told you everything?"

Sam sniffled and dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief. She looked at it and a fresh wave of tears overwhelmed her. Cujo whined in concern and hopped into Sam's lap. "Yeah, he did," Sam sighed. Tucker then slowly approached Sam and sat down next to her. "I don't understand why you two ran. Surely the king and queen would understand."

Tucker shook his head no. "Danny was afraid of what his parents would do to him if they found out about what he did. You know about the Ghost War?"

Sam nodded as she scratched behind Cujo's ear. "I know that the Fright Knight started it several hundred years ago. James Fenton Nightingale lead our people to victory by turning the Soul Shredder on the Fright Knight and that's why he became king."

Tucker nodded. "And it's also why Danny's other ancestor, John Fenton Nightingale, is the reason why the country is in its current state for the past two hundred years."

Sam nodded again. "Yeah, he was clueless enough to pull the Soul Shredder out of the pumpkin. That's why the treaty ended." Realization fell on Sam like a ton of bricks. "His Highness ran away not just out of fear but also…"

"…to prevent another Ghost War from happening," Tucker finished. It all made sense now. If Jack and Maddie saw what happened to their son, they would blame the ghosts, thus igniting another war.

"So, what did you guys do in the Far Frozen?" asked Sam.

"Danny and I trained with Master Frostbite," Tucker explained. "While Danny learned how to control and develop his powers, I learned how to build and use all different kinds of technology. I've always known how to hack into stuff with my PDA but Master Frostbite taught me how to build an electric generator. Why do you think the tree house has electricity?"

"That was you?"

"Made it by hand," Tucker said proudly. "I even installed the indoor plumbing."

"Cool. How long did you guys stay up north?"

Tucker thought about it for a moment. "About five years. Danny and I thought it was best if we moved somewhere closer to home."

Sam nodded and looked up at the treetops blocking the night sky. "Did you hear some kind of wail earlier?"

Tucker looked up too. "Most likely Danny. That was his Ghostly Wail. He got that power during puberty. One of the reasons we decided to leave the Far Frozen. Way too destructive."

Sam frowned. "He sounded upset."

"Well, why did you leave him just now?"

Sam then looked down at Cujo who was now asleep. "I needed time to think about all of this. I can't imagine what you guys went through after that accident. Did he really want to bring my dad's ghost back so I could smile again?"

Tucker chuckled. "Are you kidding? You're all he talked about after the funeral."

Sam blushed. "H-He did?"

"Totally! He kept saying that he'll give you a tour if you came to the castle," Tucker said enthusiastically. "Besides his powers are pretty cool once you get used to them."

Sam smiled slightly. "Yeah, I've seen the ice powers, the ghost sense," she counted with her fingers, "the basics, and now I've heard the Ghostly Wail."

Tucker then stood up. "Well, that's pretty much the last ten years of hiding in a nut shell. I'm going to go cook this rabbit!" Sam cringed at the thought. Cujo woke up and followed Tucker. Sam was by herself again. Now she felt bad about walking out on Danny. She looked up at the trees, wondering what the Phantom of Undergrowth Forest was doing.

~0~0~0~

Phantom was sitting on a tree branch looking up at the starry sky with tears in his eyes. He was having second thoughts about guiding Sam through the forest, the place he's called his home for the past five years. _'Nice going, Fenton! You just blew the first and probably only chance you have with a girl to like you! Idiot!'_

A dead fish hit the side of his head, breaking his train of thought. He turned and saw Sam struggling to climb up a nearby tree. She saw him and gave him a friendly smile. "I'm not going back to eating meat, if that's what you're thinking!" she shouted, cupping one hand next to her mouth to make herself louder. "I only caught it to make up for last night's dinner!"

Phantom flew over to her and helped her up. "So, you're cool with me being like this?"

Sam sighed and sat down on the tree branch. "Yeah, you don't have to explain yourself. Just let the past be the past."

Phantom's face fell. "How can I? I don't belong with humans and I don't belong with ghosts. Tucker can't stay with me forever. He's going to want to return to civilization eventually."

Sam shrugged. "Well, we'll just cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now I just want to find the Soul Shredder, warn King Jack about Plasmius and save my family." Something caught her eye. "What's that?" She pointed to something dangling from a nearby tree branch.

Phantom flew over to retrieve it and gave it to Sam. "It looks like a belt; a sword belt to be exact. It still looks kind of new so it couldn't have been here long."

Sam's eyes went wide. "It must have come from the Soul Shredder! Look! There's the Royal Family crest on the buckle!"

Phantom squinted to get a closer look. "Hey! You're right!"

"That must mean that the sword must be nearby!"

"Wrong! It's been missing for over a month, right?"

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"Odds are Undergrowth probably has it by now," Phantom assumed. "It doesn't happen often but any objects the humans drop in or near the forest usually end up in Undergrowth's hands."

"Why is he on litter patrol then if he has you?" asked Sam folding her arms.

"Hey, I signed up to fight off intruders, not pick up trash!"

"Whatever. What does Undergrowth do to fallen items?"

Phantom shrugged. "Eh, nothing really. Sometimes he'll use some items to his own convenience. Other times he'll give them to me and Tucker. He once gave Tucker an old game cartridge."

Sam chuckled. Phantom then sighed. "Well, how about we get back to camp and cook this fish? For me and Tucker," Phantom quickly added remembering that Sam won't eat anything with a face. Sam gave Phantom a warm smile and nodded. Phantom scooped her up in his arms and slowly descended to the ground.

Upon rejoining Tucker and Cujo at the campsite Phantom changed back into Danny and gutted the fish to be cooked.

Tucker smiled at the two. "So, you lovebirds kiss and make-up?"

Danny almost cut his finger while gutting the fish and Sam did a spit-take while taking a sip of water. "We're not lovebirds!" they exclaimed in unison. The two looked at each other then glared at Tucker.

"Okaaaaaayyy," Tucker sang. Even Cujo could tell there was something going on between them.

Sam glowered at Tucker. "You better quit it or I'll shove this carrot straight up your nose!" she threatened holding a carrot that was in a plastic baggie she kept in her satchel.

Tucker grimaced. "No way I'm eating a vegetable! I'm one hundred percent carnivore."

"Might as well get used to it, Tuck," said Danny as he put pieces of fish over the campfire. "She's an ultra-recyclo-vegetarian."

"A what?"

"She doesn't eat anything with a face on it," Danny explained.

"A vegetarian? That's for hippies!" Tucker laughed. Danny turned invisible as Sam started chasing Tucker all over the campsite. All Danny could do was try to contain his laughter as he watched his best friend face Sam's wrath.

**One meal and a carrot up a nose later…**

"Tucker, is your PDA still working?" asked Danny.

Tucker, who had a carrot up his nose thanks to Sam, checked to see how much power was left in his PDA. "Yep. There's still plenty of juice in it."

"Use the ghost item detecting app," said Danny. "Sam says that the Soul Shredder is somewhere in the forest." Sam showed the sword belt around her waist as proof.

"It actually makes an awesome Goth accessory," Sam commented. Tucker rolled his eyes. Sam glared at him. "Hey, just because I'm a Goth doesn't mean I have _some_ fashion sense."

"Whatever," muttered Tucker. He pulled the carrot out of his nose, turned on his PDA and got to work. After several minutes the device beeped. "Got it! Looks like the closest ghost item is south of where we are."

"Any idea where exactly?" asked Danny.

Tucker pressed several more buttons then paled. "Oh crud!" he squeaked.

Danny's icy blue eyes went wide. "Don't tell me…"

Tucker gulped and nodded. "It's with Undergrowth."

"Hold on!" Sam said. "You're telling me that the legendary Soul Shredder is in the center of this forest?" They both nodded. "Then what's the big deal? You two are on good terms with Undergrowth, right?"

"As long as we stay out of the center of the forest," Danny answered. "If we stay out of the center of the forest and protect the rest of it, Undergrowth gives us food and shelter."

"Not my idea of a done deal but if it keeps us alive, I'll take it," Tucker added, referring to his love for meat.

Sam sighed. "Well, we have no choice. Can't you two just tell Undergrowth that it's an emergency?"

"Undergrowth's idea of an emergency is a forest fire," Tucker said bluntly.

"Getting the sword from him is going to be tricky even if he is asleep," Danny added.

Sam put her hands on her hips. "Alright, Your Highness. What do you suggest? Turn invisible and get the sword yourself?"

It took a moment but when he realized that it might be possible, Danny face-palmed. "Right…ghost powers…duh!" Sam smirked at that.

"Let's hit the sack now," Tucker suggested. "If we get going in the morning, we should be at the center of the forest by tomorrow night."

The three agreed with that and prepared for bed.

~0~0~0~

"Hey, are you awake?"

Sam woke up to find Prince Daniel crouched down next to her. "Y-Your Highness?" she mumbled groggily.

Danny frowned. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"No, it's okay. Obviously something is bugging you, Your Highness. What's going on?"

Danny chuckled. "You know, I haven't been addressed as 'Your Highness' since I left the Far Frozen five years ago. Just call me Danny."

Sam smiled. "Danny. What did you want to talk about?"

Danny sighed. "Nothing really. Couldn't sleep. I just wanted to know more about you, I guess. You already know about me but I hardly know anything about you except that you're a vegetarian Goth girl whom I met ten years ago at her father's funeral."

Sam sighed. "Not much to tell, really. My dad was gone a lot; knight stuff, you know. But whenever he was home, the two of us did everything together. He took me fishing, went out on picnics, saw movies, and a lot of father-daughter stuff."

"So you weren't always a vegetarian?" Danny assumed.

Sam giggled. "Watch it, Prince! Don't make me shove a carrot up your royal nostrils too!" Danny laughed at that mock threat. Sam then calmed down. "No, I only became a vegetarian after my father died. Well, I officially stopped eating meat after puberty. Grandma said that it's best to get what my rapidly changing body needs if I wanted to be strong enough to stab a guy with a crayon."

Danny laughed again. "Your grandmother is strong enough to stab a dude with a crayon?"

"Yep. We have the crime photos to prove it."

"Remind me to never cross your grandmother then," said Danny. Sam giggled. "What about the rest of your family?"

"Ugh! Don't get me started with my mother," Sam said rolling her eyes. "She's one of those people who think women belong at tea parties. Just smile and look pretty."

"Sounds like she's a daffodil," said Danny.

"My thoughts exactly. She's constantly trying to make me wear pink and other bright colors. I prefer anything Goth. But no, she wants me to wear dresses and go to tea parties," Sam said in disgust.

"I know what you mean," said Danny. "After looking back at the first half of my life, I realized that living the life of luxury wasn't going to cut it for me. Living on my own with just Tucker for company has been a bigger adventure than anything I've faced back at Amity Park. Here, I have more freedom. No more tight schedules, no more public appearances, no more boring parties; the world is my oyster."

Sam frowned. "Don't you miss your family? They all think you're dead."

"Not my sister Jazz. She and Lord Clockwork are the only ones who know that Tucker and I are still alive. Clockwork occasionally gives me gifts and letters from her to keep me updated on what's going on back home. But, yes, I do miss them." He turned to the Goth. "What about Valerie Grey? How's she been taking her father's death? I never had the chance to talk to her at the funeral."

Sam sighed sadly. "Val's been living with my family since Sir Damon died. She hates ghosts, period. She just doesn't blame Plasmius for her father's death like I do. No, she blames all ghosts. If she saw you as Phantom with me, she won't hesitate to fire at you. In fact, that's what she and I have been doing for the past ten years. We're now ghost hunters, although I just became one so that I may one day avenge my father. But I don't think Val is going to get over what Plasmius did to her dad."

Danny's face fell. "I'm really sorry for what you've been through."

Sam scoffed. "Are you kidding? My life has been a walk through the park compared to what you've endured." Her face then turned red. "And…thank you…for thinking of me…before the accident, I mean…" Now it was Danny's turn to blush.

Sam's eyes then became heavy. "You know…ever since…my dad's funeral…when you gave me…your…handkerchief…I think I've been…in…" She fell asleep before she could finish her sentence.

Danny's face was scarlet. He smiled at the sleeping Goth girl and laid down next to her. He pulled her into his arms and held her close to keep her warm from the frigid night air, despite his lowered body temperature (Tucker was using an enlarged Cujo as a pillow).

"You know," Danny said to the sleeping girl, "I haven't stopped thinking about you since I met you as a kid. I have a feeling what you were going to say and I think the feeling's mutual." He kissed her forehead then fell asleep with her in his arms.

* * *

><p><strong>Ahhh...I feel like a fangirl at a cheesy romance movie! I loved adding that little fluffy moment at the end! <strong>

**Keep those reviews coming people! **


	8. Finding the Soul Shredder

**Whew! Thought I'd never finish this chapter! There's a lot of laughs in this chapter...topped with some fluff at the end. Enjoy the chapter!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Finding the Soul Shredder**

Getting to the center of Undergrowth Forest was easier than any of our heroes thought. All they did was fly for most of the day. Sam and Tucker hitched a ride on Cujo while Phantom flew beside them. He would have carried Sam but she insisted that he'd save his strength for when it's needed against Undergrowth himself.

"So, you two were pretty cozy last night," Tucker said slyly. Cujo yelped as Sam's grip on his fur tightened. Phantom crashed into a tree.

"NOTHING HAPPENED!" they said in unison.

"So the positions I found you two in this morning were just a coincidence?" Tucker mockingly assumed.

"It was cold last night," Phantom defended. "I was just trying to keep her warm!"

"And you had Cujo," Sam added. "He may be a ghost dog but he was a pretty good lap warmer last night."

Tucker just smirked and held out his PDA. "Then explain this picture I took early this morning." On the screen was a picture of Danny and Sam fast asleep wrapped in each other's arms. Both turned bright red.

"Gimme that!" Sam swiped the PDA out of Tucker's hands and started pressing buttons.

"Hey! Give that back!" Tucker protested

"You sure you don't want me to just destroy it?" Phantom asked Sam. "I could use some target practice."

"I'm not that cruel," said Sam, "But I'm cruel enough to erase every picture he took last night." She handed the PDA back to Tucker.

"Ah, come on! Can't you two take a joke?" Tucker whined. They continued flying through the forest laughing.

~0~0~0~

Kitty and Johnny were distraught when they woke up to find that Skulker, Plasmius and the Box Ghost left without them. They were lucky that the Box Ghost was kind enough to reassemble Johnny's motorcycle. Other than that, the two were steamed.

"I can't believe that Plasmius ditched us!" exclaimed Kitty as they trekked through the forest. Shadow was busy clearing a pathway for the two. Poor Johnny had to walk his bike because there was no trail.

"If I ever see that blue fruit loop again he's going to be sorry," Johnny grumbled. "I can't believe that he just left us here with only a note saying that _we're_ the ones slowing him down. So we weren't able to catch the Manson girl, big deal!"

"Let's just get to Ember and Technus. If I have to spend another minute in this forest, I'm going to go insane!" Kitty exclaimed.

~0~0~0~

Our heroes made it to the center of the forest by dusk. When Sam saw Undergrowth she thought he was an overgrown ficus. She's never felt this puny in her life! The four hid in the bushes as Undergrowth ate plant food that must have been stolen from a nearby farm. When he was done, he started using a sword as a toothpick.

Sam took out a pair of binoculars to get a closer look. She gasped when she saw what it really was. "He's using the Soul Shredder as a toothpick!" she whispered.

"Shouldn't he have been sent to another dimension?" asked Tucker.

"It only works if the sword _pierces_ or _slashes_ through its victims," Phantom remarked. "I don't think picking food out of giant teeth count."

Sam sighed. "How long do we have to wait for him to fall asleep?"

Tucker checked his watch. "As soon as it gets dark. I'm guessing in about an hour."

"Until then we need to come up with a plan," said Phantom. "How should we do this? The last thing I want to do is for Undergrowth to turn you two into fertilizer."

"How does he attack anyway?" asked Sam.

Tucker pulled out his PDA. "Let's see. He uses vines for attack and immobilizing his opponents, able to regenerate, duplicate himself, grow plants at a rapid rate, Venus flytraps, and lets not forget mind control."

Sam gulped. "Mind control?"

"He puts a vine in the back of your head and makes you do his doing," Phantom explained. "You forgot sleep spores, Tucker."

"Oh right."

Phantom continued. "Like any ghost, Undergrowth also has the basic ghost powers. However, his main weaknesses are cold air and fire. Tuck and I are just lucky we're able to have a simple campfire. If a wildfire occurs then Undergrowth starts to worry. Winter is pretty bad for him too. He has to turn himself into a fur tree in order to keep warm."

"He makes an awesome Christmas tree though," Tucker added. They felt the earth shake mixed in with a loud thud. They turned to see that Undergrowth has fallen asleep for the night. "Wow! He fell asleep before dark! That's gotta be a new record!"

While Undergrowth was more vulnerable at night, that didn't mean he'd let his guard down. Cujo then started growling at several pairs of red eyes staring at the group. Several Venus flytraps emerged from the trees, hungry for blood. Phantom quickly froze them before they could attack.

"I'm going to have to keep these plants busy," said Phantom. "Tucker, you and Sam are going to have to get the Soul Shredder instead."

"WHAT?" they asked simultaneously.

"Danny, I'm NOT going near Undergrowth!" Tucker exclaimed. "Last time we got that close to him I wound up in one of his plant pods!"

"If you don't go now, Undergrowth will wake up and most likely kill us all!"

Sam groaned in frustration and grabbed Tucker by the shirt collar. "You heard the halfa! Now lets go!"

Sam and Tucker left Phantom and Cujo to deal with the plants. They entered the clearing to find Undergrowth fast asleep.

"Where do you think he'd keep it?" asked Sam.

Tucker looked around. A large pile of gardening tools was seen next to Undergrowth's head. The Soul Shredder was on top of the pile safely sheathed in its scabbard. "Bingo!"

Sam sighed. "Now the question is: how are we going to get it without waking him up?"

"We're going to have to sneak quietly if we want the Shredder without waking him," said Tucker.

The two humans snuck quietly towards the giant plant ghost. Sam felt smaller and smaller the closer they got to him. Sam stepped ahead of Tucker and slowly approached the pile. She stretched her hand out as her fingers slowly reached for it. Undergrowth opened one eye that stared directly at Sam who screamed before Tucker could muffle it.

"YOU FILTHY HUMANS DARE APPROACH MY REALM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?" he roared.

Both young adults squeaked in fear. Vines fired at them. Sam quickly dodged it and grabbed the Soul Shredder. She quickly drew the sword and slashed at the attacking plants.

"I may be an environmentalist, but I'll beat up anyone who hurts my friends even if it's a plant!" Sam exclaimed.

"SAM!" cried Tucker as vines grabbed him.

"TUCKER FOLEY!" cried Undergrowth. "WE MEET AGAIN! WHY ARE YOU HERE IN MY PART OF THE FOREST? DIDN'T WE AGREE THAT YOU AND PHANTOM WOULD NOT ENTER MY REALM?"

Tucker smiled cheekily. "Hey, Mr. Undergrowth! Uh…long time no see! I…uh…see that you've met my new friend Sam. Don't mind her; she just needs the sword to, you know, save the world…?"

Undergrowth turned to Sam with an evil glint in his eye. "Ah, yes…the female that Phantom has grown so fondly of…"

"I know, right?" said Tucker. "Glad someone is on the same page as me."

"Tucker, do me a favor and shut up!" Sam said through her gritted teeth.

Vines surrounded Sam and bound her before she had a chance to blink. Out of shock and surprise she dropped the sword. "DANNY!"

Phantom shot out of the trees, evil plants tailing close behind him, and fired a ghost ray at Undergrowth. "Let her go, Undergrowth! We came here for a reason! We just want the sword! Then we'll get out of your face, no strings attached."

"You've violated our truce, Phantom! You're not going to sweet talk me out of it this time!"

"Sweet talk?" Phantom repeated in disbelief. "I nearly turned you into a popsicle last time. _You_ were begging me to spare you. You only agreed to the truce because Tucker wouldn't stop crying like a baby!"

"Hey!" said Tucker.

"I'm not going to make that mistake again!" cried Undergrowth. Rose thorns shot out from his body. Phantom dodged most of them but one grazed his side. He fell several feet before regaining his bearings and flying back to Undergrowth's eyelevel. "You are quite determined. However, that will not save you this time!" Phantom quickly shot ice beams from his eyes, freezing the overgrown ficus. He grabbed the Soul Shredder and freed his friends. Neither of them were hurt.

Phantom turned to the frozen Undergrowth. "Sorry, big guy. I'll explain everything as soon as this whole thing blows over." He then turned to his friends. "You guys okay?" They both checked themselves over. Everything seemed to be in place. "We need to get out of here. We're going to have to wash our clothes when we find a stream or a lake."

"Why?" asked Sam.

"Sometimes Undergrowth leaves us little 'party favors,'" said Tucker. "I can't believe we underestimated him."

"What are you talking about?"

"He means that we should have known that some of his nocturnal plants would be surrounding him," Phantom explained as he handed Sam the sword now in its scabbard. "We've always thought that the nocturnal plants would be spread out around the forest, not near the center of it since Undergrowth can pretty much protect himself from where he is within a good mile radius. His plants must have heard that we were coming and warned Undergrowth ahead of time."

Not knowing what he meant, Sam just brushed it off with a "whatever". It didn't matter. She had the Soul Shredder. She could now save her family and Amity Park. She'll be a hero just like her father. He would have been so proud of her.

The three friends and ghost dog walked for about three miles when Phantom collapsed from his injuries. He changed back into Danny as he lost consciousness.

"Danny!"

Tucker and Sam picked up the missing prince and sought shelter in a nearby cave as it began to rain. Starting a fire was difficult since Danny's ghost ray usually started the fires and the wood needed was wet.

Tucker inspected his best friend's injuries. Sam saw that even as a human, ectoplasm could be seen mixed in with Danny's human blood.

"He'll be fine," Tucker assured. "He just fought and froze the guardian of this forest. You'd be wiped out too if you were in his shoes."

"What about his injuries?" asked Sam. "He looked like he lost a bit of blood."

Tucker just gave the Goth a smug grin and pointed at Danny's injuries. Sure enough, they were already closing. The skin was already beginning to grow over the open wound. Several minutes went by and soon there was only a pale scar where the injuries used to be.

Tucker snickered at Sam's astonished face. "You'll get used to it. It took me awhile to get used to it. Ha! The look on your face! Priceless!" Sam snapped out of her gaze and scowled at Tucker.

Danny groaned as he regained consciousness. "Uuuggghh…what happened?"

"Danny!" Sam embraced him lightly.

Tucker looked relieved too. "Dude! You all right? You really took a beating."

"I'll live," he said uncaringly. He tried to get up but toppled over on the ground. Luckily Sam caught him.

"Do you have a first aid kit?" Sam asked Tucker.

"Just band-aids and peroxide," he answered. "He doesn't need either of them. He's just tired. That fight took a lot out of him. A good night's sleep and he'll be right as rain."

"Speaking of which we still need to wash our clothes," Sam remarked. "Do you think you can get some water? There's bound to be some kind of pool or something in this cave."

Tucker gave her a sly smile. "Okay. I'll check out the cave. Behave yourselves."

Sam glowered at Tucker. "I still have that carrot from last night. I'm not afraid to use it," she said warningly.

Tucker grabbed a flashlight and went further into the cave with Cujo close behind him. Sam could hear him whistling "Bella Notte" echoing off the cave walls.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Remind me to shove that carrot up his nose when he gets back," she said to Danny.

Danny chuckled. "You always let physical violence do the talking for you?"

Sam smiled. "Ten years of 'using my words' didn't work. Using my fists to do the talking for me does."

"Sounds like me. I'm a 'shoot first, ask questions later' kind of guy. Runs in the family, I guess."

Sam laughed. Danny shifted against the rock he was laying against. Sam then moved over to him and put his head in her lap. She smiled at him. "Thank you so much for helping me. Now that I have the sword, I can save our families and the rest of Amity Park."

Danny gave her a sad smile. "After you return the Soul Shredder to my father, what will you do?"

That took Sam off guard. What was she going to do afterwards? She obviously couldn't visit the prince since he's technically resting in her lap. Next to hunting ghosts with Valerie this has been the biggest adventure Sam has ever been on. Did she really want to go back to living a boring life in Casper Village? Her time with Danny has been the most fun she's had in ages. The thought of leaving the forest without him with her made her chest tighten.

Sam's face fell. "You know…I really have no idea what I'll do after this. All my life I've dreamed of going to Amity Park and meeting the king. But now…I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?" asked Danny.

"This might sound crazy but I don't want this adventure to end. These past few days have been the best days I've had in years," Sam said sadly.

Danny raised his eyebrows. "You'd want to stay here? With me?"

"Why not? I've wanted to see you for ten years. I don't care if you're a halfa. I don't care if you have three eyes and scaly skin. I'm just happy I've got to see you again."

Danny managed to sit up and sat next to Sam. He tilted Sam's chin up with his fingers, staring deeply into her amethyst eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, he placed his lips on hers. Sam was shocked at first but that soon quickly went away as she started to kiss him back. Her arms snaked around his neck, gripping his hair. His tiny braid was caught in two of her fingers. Danny wrapped his arms around Sam, stroking the small of her back.

Both wished this moment would last forever. Unfortunately, they heard Tucker's footsteps coming toward them and the two quickly parted the kiss and sat on opposite sides to the campfire.

"Hey guys! Filled a tub with water so we can do laundry," Tucker greeted. "What's with you two? You're both red in the face? You're not getting sick are you?"

"No, of course not!" they said in unison hurriedly.

Tucker and Cujo exchanged knowing smirks and put the tub of water over the fire. "I trust you guys brought fresh clothes?"

"I did," Danny said. "Sam?"

Sam face-palmed. "Crud! I forgot to bring spares!"

Danny got a worried look on his face. "Oh, nuts! Tucker? Tell me you have more than one set of clothes."

"Yeah, but they all need to be washed."

Sam was getting panicky. "I don't care! Just give me some clothes! You can wash those later!"

Tucker handed her an extra set. They were baggy but Sam didn't care. She'd just wear these till morning when her clothes were dry. She hid behind a stalagmite and changed her clothes. A faded yellow turtleneck and black sweatpants replaced her black tank top and black breeches that she borrowed from Danny. Both boys were considerate enough to let her use the hot tub of water first to wash her clothes.

"So, how are those clothes treating you?" asked Danny.

"I feel like a bumblebee," Sam answered as she hung one of her socks out to dry on a piece of rope Tucker had in his backpack. "Hopefully our clothes will be dry in the morning."

"They should be," said Danny as he put on his pajama bottoms and undershirt.

"Man! There were a lot of burs on our clothes!" Tucker exclaimed as he wringed water from his shirt. They did a total of four loads of laundry (the fourth belonging to Phantom).

They settled down for the night. Tucker once again used Cujo as his pillow. Sam curled up next to Danny. "I think it's my turn to keep you warm tonight," she whispered.

Danny scoffed. "My body temperature is lower than most humans. I'll be fine."

"You scratched my back, now let me scratch yours," Sam argued with a smile. The two fell asleep like the night before: wrapped happily in each other's arms.

* * *

><p><strong>Finally! Some kissing action!<strong>

**FYI: The song "Bella Notte" is from "Lady and the Tramp". It's the spaghetti scene.**

**Sorry about the delay, folks! I was suffering from writer's block and my dad's birthday was on Saturday. I think I'll dedicate this chapter to him. Love you, Daddy!**


	9. Separate Ways

**Newsflash: There will be no updates until AFTER the Easter holiday. The reason: I'll be out of town seeing some old friends. Don't worry! I won't leave you hanging forever!**

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**Separate Ways**

Our heroes left the cave by midmorning. They got dressed and continued on their way. They managed to reach the edge of the woods by mid-afternoon. That whole time they were talking and laughing about things that went on in their lives. Sam ran ahead when she saw on the horizon the castle town walls of Amity Park.

"Even from a distance it's beautiful," Sam gasped in awe. "I wish you two could see it."

Danny's face fell. He gave Sam the sword. "I've seen it and it's not a place for me anymore," he said solemnly.

Sam was confused. "Danny, what's wrong?"

"Yeah, dude," piped Tucker. "Don't you want to see how much has changed since we left?"

"I do, Tuck, but new ghosts are not welcome within the castle. After what Sam told me about my dad and what's happened this past month, I have no doubt that security is probably tighter than Area 51. If I even put a toe inside the castle town walls, I'm dead," Danny explained.

"We'll vouch for you," Sam insisted. "Just tell them that you're the Prince of Amity Park and they'll let you go."

"They'll find out I'm a ghost in a New York minute!" Danny exclaimed. "I'll be executed at the drop of a hat! I'm not going back! Not now, now ever!"

That little outburst crushed Sam's heart. She wanted him to give her a tour of the town, like he once dreamed of doing.

Tucker placed his hand on Danny's shoulder. "I'll escort Sam to Amity Park and come right back. I'll bring Cujo along as well. Lord Clockwork is probably wondering where he is."

"Tuck, Clockwork knows everything," Danny reminded him. He sighed sadly.

"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Sam asked.

Danny gave her a hug. "Go on ahead. Your family needs you. Besides, I don't belong in that world anymore." He kissed her cheek and then literally vanished into thin air. Sam could have sworn that she saw tears in his blue eyes before he vanished.

"But you belong in mine," she whispered. With a heavy heart she strapped the Soul Shredder to her back and left the forest.

The three remaining members of the group walked on in silence. It wasn't the same without him.

"You okay, Sam?" asked Tucker. "You haven't stopped crying since we left the forest."

Sam stopped and noticed for the first time that, indeed, she was crying. She released a sad chuckle. "So I am…"

"Uh…cheer up!" said Tucker trying to lighten the mood. "You can always come visit us. Danny will be more than happy to see you."

"No, I can't," said Sam seriously. "My mother won't even let me _look_ in the forest's direction. I wouldn't be able to see you or Danny ever again. Even if I told them the Prince of Amity Park lived there they wouldn't believe me."

Tucker didn't know how to respond to that. Cujo whined, wanting his master to come back. His ears suddenly perked up and started growling. Before either human can react something shot at both of them, binding their arms and legs.

"Excellent aim, Skulker!"

Sam saw to her horror that Plasmius and the rest of his goons finally caught up to them…or somehow got ahead of them in this case. He approached Sam and unstrapped the Soul Shredder from her shoulder.

"At last! The Soul Shredder is mine!" he exclaimed gleefully. "Now Jack Fenton will be forced to abdicate the throne! With this sword I can rule Amity Park with an iron fist!" He then noticed Tucker sitting tied up next to the Goth. Upon getting a closer look, Plasmius recognized the boy. "You're Sir Maurice's boy aren't you?"

Tucker panicked. "Uh, no! No, I'm not! Name doesn't ring a bell!"

Plasmius scoffed. "Come now, I recognize that red beret anywhere! You're Tucker Foley!" His eyes widened when he realized something else. "Everyone thought you and Prince Daniel disappeared ten years ago. If you're here, then that must mean that Daniel's alive too!"

"Prince who?" asked a _very_ nervous Tucker who was trying to act as innocent as possible.

Plasmius rolled his eyes. "Never mind that." He changed into Vlad Masters. "I got what I wanted but I still need you and your family, Samantha. Put these two with the others!"

Kitty and Johnny discontentedly shoved Sam and Tucker into the back seat of the old car still controlled by Technus. What no one noticed though is that Sam's treasured handkerchief once again fell out of the pocket of her breeches. They then drove off leaving the handkerchief in the dirt.

~0~0~0~

Normally Cujo would have grown in size and attacked Plasmius's group, but the ghost dog's animal instincts told him that he would be no match for the elder halfa. The green puppy hid in a bush before anyone noticed that he was with the humans. As he looked on in fear from his hiding place, he noticed that a small piece of cloth fell from the human female his master was so fond of. When the Technus-controlled vehicle drove away Cujo slowly walked up to the cloth. He sniffed it. The human female's scent was all over it. He remembered that she always carried it with her. Cujo picked up the cloth in his mouth and sprinted back to the forest. His master will know what to do.

~0~0~0~

"Sammy!" Lady Pamela squeezed her daughter. "Thank goodness you're alright! Why are you wearing breeches? Not very lady-like attire…"

"Gah! Mother! Air! Can't…breathe!"

Pamela released her. Agatha then gave Sam a much lighter embrace followed by Valerie.

"Are you okay, Sam?" asked Valerie.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Sam mumbled. She then sighed. "I'm sorry, guys. I tried but…Plasmius still got it. I was so close."

Agatha rubbed Sam's back comfortingly. "Don't beat yourself up, Sammy."

"Samantha, who's your friend?" asked Pamela who was staring at Tucker.

"This is Tucker Foley," said Sam. "Tuck, this is my family: my mother Pamela, my grandmother Agatha, and my best friend Valerie Grey."

Tucker recognized Valerie's name. "Grey? As in Sir Damon Grey?"

Valerie nodded. "You knew my dad?"

"Sort of. Don't you remember me? I'm the kid who tried to make you laugh at your dad's funeral."

Valerie's eyes widened. "You're that obnoxious boy who wouldn't stop telling me all those lame jokes!"

Tucker smiled cheekily. "Uh…yeah. That was me."

Valerie hit him upside the head. "A funeral is the last place people want to hear jokes!"

"Want to hit him with a vegetable?" asked Sam offering her the carrot.

"I was trying to cheer you up!" Tucker defended. "Please keep that vegetable away from me!" Agatha laughed at the hilarious conversation.

"That's my Sammy!" Agatha praised.

"Mother! Don't teach Samantha how to use vegetables as weapons!" Pamela scolded. She then paused and looked Tucker over. She squinted at him to get a closer look at him. "You said your name was Tucker Foley?" He nodded. "You're the son of Sir Maurice and Lady Angela Foley?"

Tucker nodded again. "You've heard from my parents lately?"

Pamela shook her head then examined Tucker's hair. "What did you do to your hair?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "They're called dreadlocks, Mom."

"Well, I didn't think that the son of the Foleys would wear his hair like that," Pamela sniffed.

The Goth released a frustrated sigh. "He and Danny have been living on their own for ten years, Mother. They can't just waltz into a barber shop to get their hair styled."

Valerie gasped in realization. "Everyone thought you and Prince Daniel died ten years ago." Sam cringed at the mentioning of Danny's name. "Does that mean…"

Tucker nodded. "Prince Daniel is alive and well."

"Ha! Told ya!" Agatha said to Pamela. "Now you can't send me away to that lousy retirement home!" Pamela groaned. She couldn't believe that her mother still remembered that silly bet.

"Hey! Keep it down back there!" Ember yelled. The car came to a sudden stop. Sam looked out the window to see that they were about a mile from the walls of Castle Town. Vlad opened the door and yanked Pamela out.

"Mom!"

"Pamela!"

"Mrs. Manson!"

Ember disappeared, as did Johnny, Kitty, Skulker and the Box Ghost. Vlad then shoved Pamela into the driver's seat and then got into the passenger seat.

"I know that since you were married to a knight that means you don't have to go past customs. Act normal. Don't give them a reason to search this car. Do so, and I'll send your little family to their worst fears," said Vlad.

Pamela then drove forward. As she got to the gate, she pulled out her driver's license to show to the guard. He smiled and let her through. In the back of the car, however, Sam and Tucker were struggling against their bindings.

"Shadow, free them," a voice whispered. Johnny's Shadow phased through the floor of the car. Using one of his claws he cut the bindings holding the two together.

"Wait, free my grandma and Valerie too," Sam whispered to Shadow even though she had no idea why he was helping her now. Shadow did the same with Valerie and Agatha.

"Finally!" sighed Agatha. "Those weird bindings were making my wrists chaff."

Shadow departed but since everything Shadow phases through just gets wrecked (since he's a bad luck shadow after all), Technus started losing his control over the car.

"What is happening?" asked Technus.

"Quiet," Vlad hissed. "We're almost to the castle." Unfortunately both Pamela and Technus lost control of the car and crashed into a tree.

The collision forced Technus out of the car. Guards already surrounded them and aimed their weapons at the ghost. Sam kicked the car door off its hinges (it was an old car) and jumped out.

"WARN THE KING! IT'S A TRAP!" she yelled. Vlad snarled and changed into Plasmius ignoring Pamela's screeches. He then jumped over the car and started attacking the guards. Ember, Skulker and the Box Ghost appeared and did the same. Valerie and Tucker helped Agatha out of the car and into her wheelchair. They were shaken up but not hurt.

"It's a shame," Agatha sighed. "That thing hasn't been used since Pamela and Jeremy brought Samantha home from the hospital."

Kitty and Johnny appeared next to Sam. She looked at them in confusion. "I don't understand…"

"Vlad left us behind in that stupid forest to perish," Kitty explained irritably. "That place ruined my clothes. Do you have any idea how much Johnny had to pay to get me these clothes?"

"Aw, come on, baby," said Johnny. "You can wear dirt rags and still look like a princess." Kitty smiled.

Sam cleared her throat to remind them of the situation at hand. Johnny snapped out of it. "Uh, yeah! He left us in Aragon's land to fry. I had to dismantle my bike because there was no stupid trail! He promised us a reward if we helped and he ditched us. It's payback time!"

"Uh…thanks…I guess?" Sam wasn't sure about her new allies but if they're against Plasmius now, they can't be that bad. She pulled out her ecto-pistol and started firing. Valerie did the same.

Tucker was cowering in fear behind Grandma Manson's wheelchair. For someone who can't walk, Agatha knew how to kick butt. She pulled out her brick pillow and swung it in Technus's face, knocking him out.

"Ha, ha! That's what you get for messing with the Manson ladies!" she cried in triumph. She handed the pillow to Tucker. "Take this, sonny! My walking cane is the only weapon I need." Screeching a battle cry, Agatha wheeled her way into battle (don't worry, she put a helmet on).

Tucker's jaw dropped as he watched the old woman fight one-on-one with the Box Ghost (who was losing badly to her).

"That's your grandmother?" Tucker asked Sam in disbelief.

Sam smirked. "Yep. That's my grandma."

Valerie fired at a ghost and turned to the other two. "Don't underestimate her. She can stab you with a crayon."

"A crayon?" Tucker squeaked.

"Or a carrot in your case," Sam added. "If we live through this I'll show you the crime photos."

"Didn't she go to jail?"

"It was self-defense! Besides, it didn't even kill the guy!"

Valerie then fired at Ember before she could attack at the old woman. "How are we going to fight these guys? There's too many of them!"

"Well, we can't leave my mom and grandma behind," said Sam. "Mom's useless and Grandma can't fight them off forever."

Kitty then stepped forward. "You three idiots warn the king! Johnny's shadow can back up the old broad. I'll watch over that daffodil you call a mother if she buys me new clothes."

"Deal."

"Sam!" Valerie protested. "Why are you making a deal with a ghost? We can't trust them! Are you forgetting that she and her boyfriend kidnapped me and your family and chased you into Undergrowth Forest?"

"They're offering their help to save the Royal Family and stop Plasmius! I don't know about you guys but I'm taking her up of her offer," Sam argued.

"Can we quit arguing and get to the castle?" asked an exasperated Tucker.

Sam and Valerie exchanged glances and nodded. The three then made their way toward the castle. Unfortunately, a ghost shield covered the castle and guards surrounded it.

"Great! Now how are we going to get in?" asked Valerie. "The ghost shield I know we can get past, but all those guards?"

"I think I know a way in," a voice replied. The three kids turned at the sound of a familiar voice.

~0~0~0~

Clockwork left his tower, something that only happens once in a blue moon. This was considered a blue moon. He appeared in the throne room where King Jack was fiddling with another ghost hunting invention. Kind of hard to do when one arm was in a cast.

He looked up at his visitor and smiled. "Clocky! Long time no see!"

Clockwork bowed. "My liege. I hope you're well?"

"Never better!" boomed the king. "Wanna sign my cast?"

Clockwork changed into an old man and signed the king's arm cast with a marker. "I wish I could say the same for the town outside." He pointed his staff toward the window. Jack set his invention down and looked outside. It was chaos in the town. Ghosts somehow snuck in and were attacking the people.

Jack didn't need to see anymore before turning to Clockwork. "What is the meaning of this? Another uprising?"

"Worse," said Clockwork. "I believe someone you once knew at the university has come back to…reconnect with you." Jack looked at Clockwork blankly. The time ghost sighed. "Sir Vlad has returned with a vengeance. He's after your throne and your queen."

Jack panicked and turned to his queen. "Maddie! Vlad's at it again! Activate the ghost shield! Evacuate the castle! Get them all into the dungeon! And bring me some fudge! I'll take care of Vlad. Just find Jazz and get everyone else into the dungeon!"

Clockwork morphed into a child. "Rest assured, sire, a very unlikely hero will come to your aid. He will be the one to defeat Plasmius and restore peace between human and ghost."

Jack just blinked in confusion. Queen Maddie sighed. "What he means, Jack, is that someone is going to help you defeat Vlad and this silly feud between man and ghost will end."

The goofy king then smiled. "That's wonderful! Who is he, Clocky?"

Clockwork chuckled. "I won't tell you _who_ he is but I will tell you _what_ he is."

"What is he?" the king and queen asked in unison.

"Another halfa."

Before the king and queen could protest, a Ghostly Wail echoed throughout the castle, destroying the ghost shield outside.

* * *

><p><strong>Yikes! How will the king and queen handle the fact that their son is not only alive but also a halfa? We'll have to wait and see!<strong>

**I'll be back after Easter! See you later! Happy Easter! ^_^**


	10. Reunion

**Hey y'all! I'm back! I had an awesome Easter! Now I can get back to work! Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**Reunion**

After a painful good-bye, Danny teleported back to the tree house. He flew to his room and wept bitterly into his pillow. He's seen how people treat ghosts in the past. Would Sam treat him the same way in Amity Park? Most likely. As for Tucker? It's best that he'd return to his family and move on with life. As far as Danny was concerned, there was no place for a halfa. Not in the Human Realm. Not in the Ghost Zone.

Sam Manson. The only girl he's ever met outside the castle. He never realized it until now. He's been in love with her from the moment they met at the cemetery all those years ago. He loved that lonely little girl who lost her father at the hands of a fruit loop. No other girl would be as good as her. The thought of never seeing her again brought a fresh wave of tears in his eyes.

Barking could be heard outside coming closer and closer to the house. Danny sat up in his hammock and phased outside onto the deck. Cujo pounced on him, knocking the halfa to the floor. The green puppy was barking hysterically.

"I know you want me to go back to her but I can't," Danny said forlornly. "She says she likes me for what I am but do you think she meant it?"

Cujo kept barking hysterically. Danny noticed something hanging from the dog's mouth. It looked like a piece of fabric.

"What'd you got there?" He pulled out the fabric from Cujo's mouth. It was his old handkerchief that he gave to Sam when they were children. "Why do you have this? This belongs to Sam."

Danny then noticed something missing. Where was Tucker? Why was Cujo here? He should have returned to Clockwork by now and yet there he was. Cujo continued running in circles around the halfa, like he wanted him to follow him. Judging by the sound of the barking the puppy was making, something was wrong.

"Are Tucker and Sam in trouble?" Cujo barked a yes. Danny silently gasped. Plasmius must have gotten them and Sam had the Soul Shredder with her. Plasmius plus Tucker plus Sam plus Soul Shredder equals total annihilation! Add Sam's family and Valerie into the equation and the monarchy will most likely turn into a dictatorship! Shoving aside his fears, Danny pocketed the handkerchief and raised his fists into the air. "GOING GHOST!" Rings of light transformed Danny into Phantom. "Alright, Cujo! Let's rescue Tucker and Sam!"

Phantom and Cujo teleported out of the tree house and wound up at the edge of the forest where he was hours earlier. This was as far as Phantom could teleport (he's tried going farther several times; it just wipes him out). He shook his head and the two ghosts flew towards Amity Park, his old home (well, Phantom decided to ride on Cujo to preserve his strength for the most likely battle ahead).

~0~0~0~

By the time Phantom and Cujo made it to Castle Town, the place was already a battlefield. The place he remembered as a boy was gone. Danny turned invisible and floated through the town. He flew around looking for Sam and Tucker. Cujo stayed behind to fight off some of the enemy ghosts.

Phantom saw some smoke near the castle and flew towards it. Looked like there was a car accident. To Phantom's surprise Shadow and Kitty were fighting Plasmius's goons. Someone else was fighting too. An old woman in a wheelchair? _'She must be Sam's grandmother.'_

Phantom landed near Kitty and Lady Pamela. "What's going on? Where are Sam and Tucker?" Phantom asked Kitty.

"They and another girl went towards the castle," Kitty explained while ignoring Pamela's screams. "Good luck getting in there. The whole castle is surrounded by guards and a ghost shield."

Phantom nodded and flew ahead to catch up with his friends.

~0~0~0~

Cujo fought as many ghosts as he could. Too bad Skulker shot restraints to the ghost dog.

Skulker grinned evilly at the dog. "Finally, green dog! Your mine!"

Someone tapped on Skulker's shoulder. "Yo! Dude!"

Skulker turned around and faced Johnny 13. "Back off, 13! I'm about to put this mutt's pelt on my wall."

"That is disturbingly gross," Johnny grimaced. Skulker then knelt down to Cujo with a hunting knife. "Shadow! Defend!"

Johnny's Shadow left Agatha's side and flew through a light pole. The light pole then fell right on top of Skulker. A tiny green ghost phased through the light pole.

"You traitor!" squeaked Little Skulker. "Just wait until Lord Plasmius hears about – hey! Put me down!" Johnny picked up the little ghost and went over to Cujo. "Hungry, mutt?" Cujo opened his mouth and Johnny dropped Skulker in it.

Johnny broke Cujo's bindings and the two went back to the fight.

~0~0~0~

Phantom continued flying over Amity Park. Near the castle he saw Sam, Tucker and another girl hiding in an alley. He became invisible and landed near them.

"Great! Now how we going to get in?" asked the girl. "The ghost shield I know we can get past, but all those guards?"

"I think I know a way in," Phantom replied as he became visible. The three humans turned to face him.

Sam's face lit up. "Danny!" she embraced him tightly. "You came back! I thought I'd never see you again!"

Danny took out his handkerchief and gave it to her. "You keep dropping it."

Sam smiled and kissed his cheek. Valerie then pulled out her ecto-pistol and pointed the barrel of the gun to Phantom's forehead. "Why are you helping us, ghost? Trying to gain our trust so you can use it against us?"

"Valerie!" Sam scolded. "Don't hurt him! He's the reason I survived Undergrowth Forest…and Tucker too!"

"Don't tell me you have feelings for him!" Valerie exclaimed.

Sam blushed. "Of…of course…not," she stuttered. Phantom blushed too.

"So, uh, you guys are having a hard time getting past the ghost shield?" Phantom asked.

"There's a ghost shield covering the castle," Tucker explained. "Not to mention there's a ton of guards near the front entrance."

Phantom gripped his chin and thought of an idea. He then looked at Tucker. "You got water?"

Tucker held up his canteen. "Still has a little bit left."

Phantom then grinned. "Then I have an idea." He flew out of the alley and went towards the shield. Walker stood in front of the shield.

"Sneaking into Castle Town, that's against the rules," Walker said to Phantom. "I'm not gonna cut you any slack just because you're new. It's the king's orders."

Phantom smirked cockily. "Let me answer to that in the following way." He took a deep breath.

Tucker could tell what Phantom was about to do. "If you value your hearing, you cover your ears." The three friends did so.

Phantom unleashed the Ghostly Wail on Walker and the guards. They were thrown against the shield by the Wail's power. Phantom kept going. The shield then shattered like glass. He stopped, his energy, for the moment, spent. He changed back into Danny. Luckily Walker and the rest of the Royal Guard were knocked unconscious. Sam, Tucker and Valerie moved out of their hiding place to approach the prince.

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam asked worriedly.

Valerie was shocked. "He's a halfa? Like Sir Vlad?" She pulled out her ecto-pistol and aimed it at Danny's head.

"Valerie, wait!" Sam protested. "He's not just a halfa."

"What are you talking about, Sam?" Valerie asked bemused. Why was Sam siding with a ghost of all things?

Tucker gently lowered her arm. "Because that's Prince Daniel James Fenton."

Valerie squinted at the halfa. He had all of the prince's characteristics, black hair and blue eyes. The ghost hunter's jaw dropped. "Oh my gosh! He is the prince! How did he get like this?"

Tucker walked over to Danny and gave him his canteen. "We'll explain later. Right now we have to stop Plasmius before he wastes the king and queen."

Danny chugged the last of the water and changed back into Phantom. "Let's go."

The four friends charged into the castle, which was a wreck. Not even the aftermath of a frat party can compare to this. Paintings were knocked over or partially burned. The furniture was destroyed beyond repair. Scorch marks were all over the walls.

"Wow. Looks like the housekeepers have been slacking off," Tucker joked. The other three glared at him. "What? I just wanted to lighten the mood a little."

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

Phantom and his friends turned and saw Princess Jasmine aiming a bazooka in their direction.

"Who are you? State your business!" she shouted.

Phantom landed in front of the group and slowly approached his sister. "Jazz?"

Jazz, who didn't recognize Phantom (she's only seen her brother as a human via Clockwork), was startled but tried not to show it. "Do I know you?"

"Jazz, it's me! It's Danny!"

Jazz narrowed her eyes. "Prove it."

Phantom smiled evilly and started singing, "Jazz is a spazz! Jazz is a spazz!"

The princess's eye twitched. She always hated it when her brother started singing that obnoxious song when they were children.

Wait a minute! Only her brother knew that song. Not even Tucker knew it! She lowered her bazooka. "Danny?"

Phantom changed back into a human. He smiled. "Long time no see, sis."

Jazz dropped the weapon and embraced her brother. "Danny! It's really you! Oh my God! I can't believe you're back!"

"Ack! Jazz…air!" She was squeezing him a little too tight.

"Oops! Sorry," she said cheekily. She then turned to his friends. "Tucker Foley? Is that you?"

Tucker grinned. "The one and only! When did you get so hot?" Jazz turned a bright pink.

"TUCKER!" his three friends exclaimed. Valerie hit him upside the head and Sam shoved the carrot up his nose…again.

"Tuck! Are you forgetting that she's my sister?" Danny asked exasperatedly.

"Why can't any of you take a joke?" Tucker asked irritably as he pulled the carrot out of his nose again.

Valerie cleared her throat. "Can we get back to why we're here in the first place?"

"Oh right!" Jazz exclaimed. "Mother is helping me round up everyone and hide in the dungeons. Father is going to fight Plasmius."

"What!" Danny said in alarm. "How can Dad fight Vlad when he doesn't have the Soul Shredder? Vlad has it now."

Jazz then became worried. "He has the sword? If Father goes against Sir Vlad as he is, he's as good as dead!"

"Remember, Danny?" said Sam. "I told you that His Majesty broke his arm."

"Which arm?" asked Danny.

"His right arm," Jazz answered.

Danny face-palmed. "His sword arm. Yeah, he's as good as dead."

Jazz gripped his shoulders and shook him gently. "Can't you do something? You're probably the only one who has a chance against Vlad."

"Little old me versus a fruit loop with a magical sword? I don't like those odds," said Danny.

"Danny, you have to at least try," Jazz persisted. "If you don't do it, who will?"

~0~0~0~

Phantom floated through the deserted hallways searching for the meeting room where his father and the knights would gather. A lot has changed since he left home. The floors were re-carpeted and the walls were repainted (and it's going to have to be done again after this). If memory serves, the meeting room should be…yes! It's the room that looked over the vegetable garden outside.

Memories of the vegetable garden hit Phantom like getting hit by a train.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey Tucker! Look! It's the first ripe pumpkin of the season!" a seven-year-old Prince Daniel exclaimed.<em>

"_Awesome! We're having pumpkin pie!" Tucker exclaimed._

"_Uh, Tuck? A pumpkin is a vegetable," said Danny._

"_It is? Oh! Yuck!" Tucker gagged._

"_Do you know the legend of these pumpkins?"_

"_I hear it every year, Danny. Your ancestor pulled the sword out of a pumpkin when he wasn't supposed to," Tucker said._

"_I wonder if the ghosts will like us again if we put the sword in another pumpkin?" asked Danny._

"_Your father will probably put you in the stocks for the rest of the afternoon!" Tucker exclaimed._

* * *

><p>Phantom chuckled. Indeed, he did attempt to get the sword away from his father but, as Tucker predicted, he spent the rest of the afternoon in the stocks. He entered the room where he saw his father, a regular sword in his casted hand, waiting for Plasmius.<p>

"Dad?"

The king turned in Phantom's direction and scowled at him. "Who are you? How did you get in here? Why are you addressing me in such a casual manner?" He raised his sword and pointed it in Phantom's direction, the tip literally poking his nose.

"I'm your son, Daniel James Fenton!"

"Liar!" Jack boomed. "My son disappeared ten years ago! You look nothing like him!"

"That's because I ran away ten years ago!" Phantom defended. "I didn't want you and Mom to know about what happened!"

Jack narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Tucker and I tried to create a portal into the Ghost Zone after the Manson-Grey funerals but everything went wrong and I became a halfa."

"A HALFA? YOU'RE A HALFA?" Jack roared.

"Wait! I'm not like Vlad, I swear!" Phantom insisted.

"Liar!"

"I'll prove it!" Rings of white light appeared around Phantom's waist. They changed Phantom into a scrawny young man with a tiny braid in his black hair and wore neon green mini-hoop earrings. He wore a white tunic with a red vest, dark blue breeches and black boots. His neon green eyes then became icy blue. The DP charm around his neck became the Royal Family crest.

Jack dropped his sword. He gave that pendant to his son on his tenth birthday a year before he disappeared. The prince never took it off. "Danny?"

Danny smiled. "Yeah, it's me."

Jack slowly approached his son. "Son, what happened to you? Where did you learn how to make a Ghost Portal?"

Danny looked at the floor in shame. "Vlad gave me instructions on how to make one. It was before he killed Sir Jeremy and Sir Damon. At the time, I thought Vlad killed them because he was overshadowed and a ghost made him do it. I knew Vlad my whole life. I guess I refused to believe that he was capable to doing something like that."

"I don't understand. Lord Clockwork told us you and Tucker disappeared and were most likely dead. He wouldn't give me a direct answer so I never knew for sure," said Jack.

"Lord Clockwork and Jazz were the only ones who knew that Tuck and I were still alive," Danny explained. "I didn't want to tell you because…well…I was afraid of what you'll do to me. So Clockwork sent us to the Far Frozen so I can learn how to control my powers. We were there for five years. We've been spending the other five years living in Undergrowth Forest." Jack looked at Danny blankly. The boy sighed. "That makes it a total of ten years, Dad."

"Ah, that makes sense," Jack responded. "What I don't understand is why you had to bring Tucker along with you."

"Tucker helped me make the portal. His involvement would mean that he would be questioned regarding my whereabouts. That and the fact I couldn't do this alone. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life alone with no one to talk to. So Clockwork told Tucker to go with me for moral support."

Jack lowered an eyebrow. "And your sister knew about this and she didn't tell us?"

Danny sighed. "Jazz stayed behind because we knew that you couldn't handle losing both of us. Someone had to give you peace of mind."

"Which will now be put to an abrupt end!" a voice said. Danny and Jack looked up and saw Plasmius floating with the Soul Shredder in his hand. "I should have known. The great Phantom of Undergrowth Forest was really Prince Daniel this whole time. I failed to kill you ten years ago. I'm not going to make that mistake again!"

He dive-bombed toward the two royals, not caring which one he struck first.

* * *

><p><strong>Grrr...I hate it when the bad guy interrupts touching moments like this!<strong>

**Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable? I have no clue! But since Danny and Tucker were only kids at the time of this little flas****hback, they wouldn't know any different!**

**Keep those reviews coming, folks!**


	11. Showdown

**The penultimate chapter is here! Hooray!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**Showdown**

As soon as Phantom flew off to find King Jack, Jazz lead Sam, Tucker and Valerie through the castle to find Queen Maddie and the rest of the castle staff. The three young adults fought off any ghost that tried to attack them. They made their way down to the dungeons where everyone was hiding.

"Mother!"

Maddie turned and saw her daughter with three new people. "Jazz! Are you all right? Who are these three?"

"This is Samantha Manson and Valerie Grey," said Jazz.

Maddie did a double take at the mentioning of those names. "Manson? Grey? As in…"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Valerie said as she and Sam knelt in the queen's presence. "Our fathers were killed by Plasmius ten years ago. They were the king's knights."

Maddie embraced them both. "I'm so sorry about your fathers. You two have grown up into two beautiful women."

"Thanks, Your Majesty," said Sam despite the fact that as a Goth, was not very fond of close contact, such as hugging (except for Danny, of course). She'd make an exception for the queen though.

Tucker walked up to the queen and bowed to her. "Hey Queenie! Haven't seen you in ten years!"

Maddie squinted at the boy to get a better look at him. She then gasped. "Tucker? Tucker Foley, is that you?"

The other members of the castle fell silent when they heard the queen say the boy's name.

"You sure this is the Foley boy?" asked one of the ladies-in-waiting.

"I know those glasses and red beret anywhere," the queen confirmed. She gave Tucker a huge hug. "If you're still alive then is Danny…"

Tucker smiled. "He's alive and well," he assured. "But I gotta warn you. He's not the Danny you remember."

"What do you mean?"

Sam stepped in. "We'll talk about this later. Where is the meeting room?"

Everyone stared at the Goth. "Why do you want to know?" asked Jazz.

"I'm going to help Danny," Sam said.

"ARE YOU NUTS?" Tucker exclaimed.

"Sam, you're going to get yourself killed," Valerie added. "I'm sure Prince Daniel can handle Plasmius."

"Val, you and I both know what Vlad is capable of," said Sam. "He didn't just ruin Danny and Tucker's lives, he ruined ours too. This is probably our only chance to avenge our fathers' deaths. If Danny fails then no one can stop him. I'm not going to stand idly by and watch the future king of Amity Park die! I won't let my heart break again!" Sam grabbed her ecto-pistol and ran out of the dungeons.

Maddie blinked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she has feelings for Danny."

"You have no idea," Tucker and Valerie said simultaneously.

~0~0~0~

Vlad swung his sword at both royal men who both ducked in the nick of time. Jack tried to fight back but his sword was cut in two like butter. It was only a matter of time before Vlad had poor Jack in a corner.

"As soon as I dispose of you, I'll take the throne and rule Amity Park with an iron fist!" Vlad exclaimed. "Not even Daniel can stop me."

"Wanna bet?" A ghost ray blasted out of Danny's hand and it hit Vlad in the back. Danny changed into Phantom and advanced toward Plasmius. Three duplicates of Plasmius appeared and surrounded Phantom, catching him off-guard. They all fired ghost rays at Phantom. He screamed in agony.

"I thought this was would be a challenge," Plasmius sighed. He raised the sword to finish the halfa off.

"HEY! PLASMIUS!"

Vlad looked up at the rafters. Sam was standing up there. "I will not bow to a murderer for a king!" Vlad's eye twitched as Sam shouted her father's last words. Sam swung down on the chandelier and knocked Plasmius out the window.

"Sam!" Phantom cried out. He ran over to her and embraced her. He stroked her hair, savoring the fact that she's still all right. "What are you doing here?"

"You're not the only one who has a score to settle with Vlad," Sam said with much determination. "He murdered my father and he tried to kill you. He's ruined enough lives."

"What about Valerie? Doesn't she has any say in this?"

"She doesn't just blame Plasmius for what happened to her father. She hates everything ghost. Getting rid of Vlad may help her overcome her grief but her hatred for ghosts will still burn within her," Sam explained solumnly.

Phantom's face fell at the fact that Sam's best friend will still not get closure after this. Maybe destroying Vlad will be the first step toward it.

"Son? Who's your friend?" asked Jack.

Sam turned and gasped at the sight of the king. She straightened herself up and tried to make herself presentable for him. She quickly knelt before him. "I'm Sam Manson, Your Majesty. I'm the daughter of the late Sir Jeremy Manson," she said hurriedly.

Jack's face lit up. "You're Jerry's little girl? Why, look at you! You're the spitting image of your grandmother. I still remember meeting her at your father's wedding. She was the only one who was not afraid to hurt me for trying to steal a piece of wedding cake."

Sam smirked. "Yep. Sounds like Grandma."

Getting back to the task at hand, Phantom looked out the window. "I need to stop Plasmius once and for all."

"I'll go with you," said Sam.

"NO!" Phantom exclaimed. "I'm not going to expose you to danger. The Soul Shredder works on both humans and ghosts. If it cuts you, it will send you to the dimension of your worst fear. You know that!"

"Danny, we made it this far by sticking together. I'm not backing out now because some fruit loop has a fancy shmancy sword," Sam argued.

"As much as I'm against seeing a young lady fight a ghost, I say let her go with you, Son," Jack added.

"Dad…I…I don't wanna lose her," Phantom mumbled. Sam heard what he said and blushed.

She then got a crazy idea. "Perhaps this will change your mind." She gave him a deep and passionate kiss. Phantom was taken by surprise by this but it quickly went away as he happily returned it. Their tongues were about to touch when Jack cleared his throat. The two lovebirds quickly parted the kiss, their faces a deep red.

"Good luck you two lovebirds," Jack said trying to hide his huge grin.

Phantom and Sam nodded to the king and, with Phantom's help, phased through the walls out to the garden where Plasmius was waiting.

It was now dark outside. Fighting was going to be difficult. Phantom and Sam carefully walked through the garden without tripping on any of the vegetables. Neither dared lit a light or said a word to each other in fear of giving away their position.

A blast knocked Phantom to the ground. Plasmius became visible. "Well, well, well. Two star-crossed lovers are going to fight against me? Looks like fate is running out of creative ideas."

Sam scowled at the elder halfa and charged up her ecto-pistol. She then took aim at Vlad.

"Your battle pose is forward yet hesitant," Plasmius pointed out. "It's the exact same pose your father was in before I killed him."

Sam fired at him. "Don't you EVER talk about my father like that!"

Plasmius swung the blast away with the Soul Shredder with relative ease. He advanced towards the Goth. "I'll spare you the story of how I killed him and just send you to your worst fear." He raised his sword to strike.

"Keep her out of this!" Phantom shouted as he launched a sphere of ecto-energy at him. "This is between you and me!"

"No, this is between you two," said Vlad confidently. "This is technically all Samantha's fault."

Phantom blasted a ghost ray in Vlad's direction. "Sam has nothing to do with this!" he roared.

"On the contrary, Daniel, this all started with her," Vlad purred. "She motivated you to open the portal in the first place. You wanted to be like your oafish father and make her happy. How were you going to do this? By bringing back her father's ghost and having him return to your father's court and things will go back to normal, like nothing ever happened. Unfortunately, your father didn't want to see any ghost outside the castle to ever enter it again. You didn't listen and went on with the plan you had laid out for weeks. You tried to open the portal only for it to backfire on you, thus making you a halfa. You feared for your life and fled like a coward. All of this could have been avoided if you never met Samantha Manson."

Phantom gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I'll admit, my exile could have been avoided if I never went through with my plan to bring Sam's dad's ghost back. For a long time I've hated my powers and what I've become. But I still had friends with me. They kept telling me that they're there for me. For a while I didn't believe them but that same girl I met at the cemetery ten years ago found her way back into my life completely by accident. She told me that she didn't care that I was a halfa. She was just happy to see me. She smiled at me. That was my goal from the beginning: to make Samantha Manson smile again and I did it." The memories of them together from their first encounter as children to their first kiss in the forest flashed through Phantom's eyes.

Tears were streaming down Sam's face as he spoke to Plasmius. The way he spoke of her sounded like he loved her. If he did then the feeling was mutual. She's been in love with him from the moment they met ten years ago.

"How touching," Plasmius spat. "You sound like you actually care for her. How sickening!"

"Not as sickening as your obsession with my mom," Phantom retorted. He fired a ghost ray at Plasmius. He tried to fire back but Phantom threw up a ghost shield, which blocked the attack. Sam tried firing too but Plasmius retaliated by firing a ghost ray at her, hitting her leg. Sam knelt down, gripping the burnt leg while gritting her teeth to keep herself from screaming in agony.

"Sam!" Phantom yelled. He turned to Plasmius and fired a shower of ghost rays at him. One of them knocked the Soul Shredder out of Vlad's hand. He tried to reach out for it but Phantom quickly froze him in place. The boy picked up the sword and approached Plasmius, his eyes burning with hatred toward the man who was treated like family for the first ten years of Danny's life. "You know, Plasmius? I'm rather glad you gave me those instructions to open the Ghost Portal. If I didn't go through with it, you would have already killed my friends and family along with Sam and her family a long time ago. Thanks." And with that, Phantom slashed the sword through Plasmius. It didn't cut him or make him bleed but his body started to glowing green and he disappeared in a matter of seconds.

Phantom collapsed on his knees. "It's finally over," he said in relief. He looked around and saw a pumpkin sitting in the garden. The first ripe one of the season. He smiled. "Now to see if my theory about putting the sword in a new pumpkin is correct." He stabbed the pumpkin with the Soul Shredder. The green flames surrounding the sword died down and turned a slightly darker green. The pumpkin then turned from orange to purple.

"Did it work?" Sam asked.

"I believe it did," a voice answered. A blue ghost wearing a purple cloak appeared before them.

Phantom's face lit up. "Lord Clockwork!"

The Ghost of Time smiled at the boy. "I've been watching you since you departed, Daniel. I must say I'm rather proud of you. Your actions tonight will bring this kingdom into a whole new era of peace."

"You mean humans and ghosts can finally coexist again peacefully?" asked a hopeful Sam as Phantom used his ice powers on her burned leg.

"That is correct, Samantha Manson," Clockwork answered as he turned into an old man. For some reason Sam thought it would be rude to correct him on her name. "Daniel is living proof that the living and the dead are two sides of the same coin. One can't exist without the other."

"What about Plasmius?" asked Sam. "He was also a halfa."

"Vlad has been thirsting for power since he got his powers over twenty years ago," Clockwork explained. "He believed that he was more superior to the average human. When he saw that he was going nowhere with his powers, he decided to get rid of the ones who was preventing him from growing in power."

"So the reason he tried to get rid of Danny…"

"Was because the boy was a growing threat, an heir to the throne," Clockwork continued, turning into a child. "By getting rid of Daniel, there would be no one to inherit the throne once he got rid of the king."

"What about my sister?" asked Danny. "Wouldn't she get the throne if I'm out of the picture?"

"Naturally, but she needs to wed someone of nobility in order to inherit the throne."

Sam scoffed. "Stupid politics. It's always boys first then girls. And who said that only nobility could marry someone from the Royal Family? Look at Britain. They had an unwedded queen once upon a time! Why can't Jazz rule the kingdom without marrying someone?"

"I'm sorry, Samantha, but that's just the way it is," Clockwork said as he turned into an adult. "Now, I believe that we need to get you into the infirmary to treat your injuries."

~0~0~0~

Sam's family met up with her and Phantom after defeating the enemy ghosts. Thanks to some of the inventions the king and queen created, they defeated them with relative ease.

Pamela frowned when she saw who was sitting at Sam's bedside. "Sammy, why is there a ghost with you? I will not allow any paranormal monster be associated with my daughter."

Phantom frowned. "Hey!"

"Mom! Don't call him that!" Sam scolded. "This 'monster' just defeated Plasmius and restored peace between the ghosts and the humans."

Pamela just sniffed. Valerie pushed Agatha in her wheelchair towards Phantom to get a closer look. "So, you're the infamous Phantom of Undergrowth Forest that I've been hearing so much about?"

"Uh…yes?" Phantom answered nervously. He remembered what Sam said about her grandmother being strong enough to stab a guy with a crayon despite her age. "Please don't hurt me," he squeaked.

Agatha laughed. "Why would I hurt the one who protected my granddaughter from the dangers of that forest? You're not like any of the ghosts I've met before. The only friendly ghosts I've met were here in Amity Park."

"Mother! How can you be so open with a ghost?" Pamela asked exasperatedly.

"Does he look like malevolent to you?" Agatha retorted as she hit her daughter with her cane. "He's scared of little old me! He wouldn't try to harm us."

"You got that right," Phantom quickly agreed. "I've heard many stories about you, Lady Agatha. I'm aware of what you can do with a crayon!"

Sam, Valerie and Agatha laughed. Sam wiped her eye as she calmed down. "Alright, Phantom. How about you tell them who you really are before we get too deep in this conversation?"

"Oh! Right!" Phantom changed back into a human. He stood up and bowed in a gentleman-like manner to Sam's family. "Prince Daniel James Fenton at your service. It's an honor to meet you, Lady Agatha and Lady Pamela. I've already met Valerie earlier this evening."

Pamela was overcome with shock that she passed out.

"Leave her there," Agatha said casually. "Your Highness, it's a pleasure to meet you. I would kneel but my legs are not what they used to be."

Danny laughed. "That's okay. Just call me Danny. No one's addressed me as 'Your Highness' since I left the Far Frozen."

Agatha shrugged. "I'll call you Prince Danny," she said looking at him like she was daring him to argue with her. "I'm not going to be punished for addressing you so casually. Formal-casually, however, will work just fine." She then hit Danny's head with her cane.

"OW! What was that for?"

Val and Sam just laughed. "Sorry, Your Highness," Valerie apologized. "That's Agatha's way of saying she approves of you. She did the same thing to me when I went to live with Sam except she used a rolled up magazine."

"It was an 'Amity Weekly' magazine!" Agatha defended. "They're thinner than 'Time' magazine! You didn't even cry! If I remember correctly, you were laughing your silly little head off!"

"Because it's so funny the way you talk about politics!" Valerie said trying to hide her laughter.

"But did she have to hit me with a cane?" asked Danny still rubbing his head.

"I don't have a magazine with me," said Agatha.

Everyone laughed.

"Danny?"

Everyone turned and saw Queen Maddie, King Jack, Princess Jasmine and Tucker standing in the doorway.

Maddie stepped toward her son. "Is it true that you're a halfa?"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm loving this! Maybe I'll watch 'Quest for Camelot' some time soon for old times' sake!<strong>

**I loved writing the fluff before the final battle! The only way to get a man to agree with you is to kiss him! How many times have I seen that on TV and in movies?**

**One more chapter to go! Get those reviews in so I can wrap this up!**


	12. Happily Ever After

**Finally! The final chapter! It wasn't easy coming up with a good ending. I hope it's good enough for you! There's plenty of fluff for everyone!  
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* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

**Happily Ever After**

Danny shifted nervously as his mother slowly approached him. Sam's family may have accepted his differences (he wasn't sure about Pamela due to her reaction), but what about his own? Sure, Jazz and Jack accepted him but it's not official until the queen approves.

Danny sighed. "Mom, I…"

Maddie cupped his face in her hands trying to get a good look at the half-ghost standing in front of her. "You're my son? But…how…"

Danny's face fell. "It happened about a week after the Manson-Grey funeral…" Danny then went on for the next half-hour telling his tale to Maddie with Tucker adding some extra details in-between.

When he was done, he waited for Maddie to respond. To Danny's surprise, tears were spilling all over Maddie's face.

"Mom, please don't cry. I'm still me. You would have done the same thing if you were in my shoes," Danny said.

Maddie smiled and embraced her son. "I'm so happy you're back! Who cares if you're part ghost? I'm just glad my baby boy is back!"

Danny turned bright red. "Mom! Not in front of my friends!"

Everyone laughed.

"I still see the eleven-year-old prince in you," Agatha laughed. "I saw you struggle with your mother at the funeral when she tried rub a smudge off your cheek."

Maddie let go and looked at her son. He's grown up so much! And he looked very handsome in that peasant getup. "So you went through all of this for Samantha Manson?"

Danny blushed again. "Yes…" he mumbled. Sam also blushed. The Royal Family noticed and exchanged knowing smirks with each other.

~0~0~0~

**Several months later…**

With the Soul Shredder in another pumpkin, the treaty between living and the dead was restored. To make sure it stayed that way, Clockwork took possession of the sword and guarded it with his afterlife. He even went as far as to lock it in a gigantic safe in his tower.

Tucker moved back to Amity Park and made improvements on the castle and the rest of the kingdom. Valerie joined the Royal Guard, although she still didn't like the fact that most of them were ghosts. Agatha moved into the castle but she wouldn't let any of the servants do simple tasks for her ("Just because I'm crippled doesn't mean you have to treat me like one!"). Soon, everyone was scared of her. Even Lord Clockwork was a little scared of her!

Sam also moved to Amity Park where she was hailed a hero. She moved into the castle where she became a knight but also taught the ladies-in-waiting how to defend themselves. Thanks to Sam and Phantom, ghosts also joined the king's circle of knights.

Danny returned to Undergrowth Forest. Undergrowth refused to allow Danny back in but Clockwork managed to reason with him. Danny not only kept the peace in the forest, but also in Casper Village nearby. Sam visited Danny often and helped him protect the forest.

One day the two were out on patrol when it started raining. They quickly sought shelter in the same cave they used before.

"This brings back memories," Sam giggled as she wringed rainwater out of her shirt.

Phantom blushed as he remembered what happened in this cave. He turned intangible to make himself dry. He did the same with Sam.

"It's hard to believe that peace has been restored to the entire kingdom," Phantom stated as he changed back into a human.

Sam released a happy sigh. "There will be several changes in the coming years. Hard to believe that your father, the king, has already added ghosts to his circle of knights."

"Not to mention Jazz is learning how to fight ghosts," Danny added. Sure the treaty has been restored but that doesn't mean a few rebel ghosts would still attack every now and then.

Danny looked at Sam. "You know, I actually explored this cave after our adventure. I discovered something I think you'd like."

Sam was intrigued. "Really? What is it?"

Danny stood up and helped Sam onto her feet. "Come on. I'll show you."

The lovebirds then walked deeper into the cave. Danny changed into Phantom and guided Sam through the cave using his ghost ray as a light. It was cold in the cave but Phantom's presence made it colder.

Phantom noticed Sam's discomfort. "Don't worry," he assured. "We're almost there. If memory serves, there should be a torch stick I left behind somewhere around here…Ah! There it is!" Phantom picked up a stick and lit it with his ghost ray. He changed back into a human making the temperature slightly warmer. He looked at Sam. "Feeling better?"

Sam shivered. "A little. The fact that we're deep inside a cold, damp cave with only a little flame for light and warmth isn't really helpful."

Danny chuckled. He took Sam's hand again and continued trekking through the cave. They finally reached their destination: a chamber. Amethysts covered the walls and ceiling. The fire from the torch made them sparkle and glitter.

Sam gasped. "Danny…" she whispered.

Danny smiled. "I found this cave chamber one day while I was seeking shelter from the rain. The amethysts remind me of your eyes. I saw the old campfire and remembered that you, me, Tucker and Cujo stayed here for the night after we recovered the Soul Shredder."

"Speaking of Cujo, where is he?" asked Sam.

"Back at my tree house," Danny replied. "After Lord Clockwork saw how attached he was to me, he said that I could keep him."

Sam smiled. "That's good."

Danny sighed nervously. "You know, I'm going to be king someday, right?"

"Yeah, I'm aware of that," Sam said. "I know you don't want to. But imagine what will the kingdom be like if it was ruled by a halfa. You could do awesome things as king. You could bring Amity Park into a whole new era. And I want to see you make those changes."

Danny paused for a few moments. "Would you want to see me make those changes from the crowd or by my side?"

Sam furrowed her eyebrows. "By your side, of course. Why would I watch from the crowds?"

It was hard to tell with the lighting but it looked like Danny was blushing. "B-B-Because I want you to watch me make those changes by my side. Y-You know that I love you, right? From the moment we met at your father's funeral?"

Sam smiled. "I love you too, Danny. I don't care if you're a prince or a halfa. Those are just some of the things about you that I love."

Danny turned even redder. "G-G-Good," he stuttered, "b-b-b-because that's why I want to ask y-you…" he knelt down on one knee and took out a ring with an ice crystal on it. "…w-w-will you m-m-marry me?"

Sam gasped. She then smiled as tears poured from her eyes. She embraced the halfa and kissed him passionately.

Danny parted the kiss. "I'm guessing that's a yes?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Duh!"

Danny slipped the ring on her finger. "I love you, Lady Samantha."

Sam laughed. "I love you, Your Highness."

As the amethysts continued to glitter in the torchlight, Danny picked her up and spun her around before laying another passionate kiss on her lips. Both of them knew that they were going to live happily ever after.

* * *

><p><strong>IT'S SO FLUFFY! <strong>

**I love a happy ending! I know it's not like the ending in the movie but...well...I thought this would be more romantic! Thank you all who favored and reviewed this story! I love you all!  
><strong>

**I'm already thinking of writing another another parody right now! Wow! I'm on a roll!  
><strong>


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